To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
by Robert Modean
Summary: After a long and trying week our favorite forensic anthropologist has literally worked herself to exhaustion. Originally planned as a one-shot, now a FIVE shot. Chapter Four is up!
1. Chapter 1 Enter Sandman

**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately I don't own nor am I involved with the production of _Bones_. On the plus side, I work cheap so if Hart and Company are reading this - call me.

**Synopsis**: After a long and trying week our favorite forensic anthropologist has literally worked herself to exhaustion. When sleep overwhelms her how will her very own knight in FBI standard issue body armor save her, and what, prey tell, will be the fallout?

_A/N: This multi-chapter fic (See? I heard you all) came out of a confluence of events, but mostly it's due to my continuing insomnia and the 80 hour work weeks I've been putting up with this month. As always, adult situations and language apply._

**Chapter One - Enter Sandman**

* * *

For the third time in the last hour she found herself re-reading the same passage on her screen. Exhausted, Brennan screwed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose in a vain attempt to restore her focus. She knew it was a losing battle but she was not one to give up easily. The last few days had been a veritable whirlwind of activity that conspired to keep her from her bed. It started out when Russ and Amy had come into town at the beginning of the week, so Hayley could undergo testing to verify that the new treatment was working on her CF. They hadn't the money to get a hotel room and Max lacked the space so she put them up at her apartment. She'd seen her brother and future sister-in-law so much that week that she felt as if she'd made up for all the time lost after he'd abandoned her. Of course, Max increased his presence as well, visiting Russ and the girls every day, and constantly trying to get her to attend some sort of family dinner or function.

Then there was Angela, her best friend, who's life seemed to revolve around drama. Roxie had left her less than two months ago, and when Brennan couldn't be there for her friend, Angela wound up getting drunk and sleeping with Hodgins, again...and again. They'd finally spent all of last night talking, and Brennan knew that even though she wasn't sure what to say or do to help, it was important just being there for her friend. Angela assured her that it had helped, but now Brennan was paying the price, having garnered less than two hours sleep before she had to leave with Booth for a breakfast meeting with Caroline. The last few days were finally catching up with her. She felt beaten, physically, mentally, with simply nothing left to give. Four hours sleep in the last forty-eight, less than eight hours in the last three days; not a full night's sleep since Sunday. All she wanted to do was find her way home and spend the next few days cocooned inside her bedroom, but there was still so much work to do.

Sighing in resignation, Brennan pushed back from her desk and tried to straighten up. A groan escaped her lips as the twinge in her lower back and the tightness in her shoulders gave testament to the amount of time she'd spent in front of her computer that day already. Her hand fell to her sides, seeking the small of her back where her fingers touched. Putting pressure on the sensitive spot there she arched her back and groaned, listening to the snap and pop from the synovial membranes as she flexed the trapezii muscles until they burned with fatigue. Slumping forward, Brennan was suddenly aware of another set of hands on her body. They were big and rough and calloused, and they felt fantastic kneading her tender skin. Brennan gasped audibly as the hands dug into her muscles, she could feel the prominent ridges of both index fingers through the thin silky material of her halter top as they mercilessly pushed and pulled at her latissimi dorsi. But as powerful as the touch of those hands was, it was the heat from them that most affected her. Furnace-like would have been one way to describe it, the heat from those hands penetrated the fatigued muscle through her clothing, softening it, drawing the toxins out so the fingers could massage it away. Booth's hands worked rhythmically around the small of her back, eliciting no reaction from Brennan except for the occasional stifled grunt as she bit down on her lower lip to contain the sighs of pleasure that would otherwise escape.

That was the case until one particularly nasty knot of muscle was encountered at the junction of the L5 and the sacrum. The silky material of her halter top ended just above the join, and the heat from those talented hands had a more pronounced effect once they went skin to skin, pooling as it did in so sensitive a place as the thick calloused fingers dug into muscle working the knot free. When it finally gave way she was awash in the sensations of pressure, then pain, then sweet release as waves of pleasure radiated outward from the skin his fingers touched. It was a testament to just how tired she really was that it had taken until now for Brennan to say anything, still the intensity of his touch was more than Brennan could handle in her exhausted state and what she'd intended to be a simple interrogative instead became a low, appreciative moan escaping her lips. "Boooooth"

A low chuckle sounded from behind her. "Did you like that, Bones? Did I hit the right spot?"

His breath was hot on the skin of her neck, tickling her ear as the low, throaty voice mocked her. Brennan wasn't a religious woman in any sense of the word but she found herself in fervent prayer hoping for two complimentary outcomes. First, that this was not a dream, and second, that he'd shut the door.

"Booth? What are you doing?" Her cheeks pinked when a groan escaped her lips as he continued to knead her aching back.

"Helping my partner out, Bones." His breathy whisper sent a shiver down her spine that only grew in intensity as his hands found another troublesome knot of muscle near her L1-L2 vertebrae. Working their magic, Booth's hands set fire to her skin even as they undid the damage of the last several days, and the results were more than merely pleasurable.

"Ngh…ohhh, right there…don't stop…" Her cheeks pinked again upon hearing the words come out, the filter between her mind and mouth seemed to be malfunctioning. Logically Brennan concluded that there was something to Booth's touch that caused her amygdala to light up like a pinball machine.

"No problemo, Bones." Booth snorted softly to himself as she purred beneath his hands. Leaning forward he dropped a small, sweet kiss on her temple. "I promise I won't stop until you tell me to."

"Mmm. Thanks."

Brennan smiled lazily as his hands continued to work the knots at the top of her lumbar region. Grabbing the edge of her desk, she leaned forward to encourage Booth's continued ministrations of her back by granting him fuller access, oblivious to the fact that her top rode up, revealing more of her naked back than Booth had ever seen. Encouragement would not be an issue. Booth increased the intensity of the massage, moving up the lumbar to the thoracic, where he found even more knotted muscle requiring his healing touch. Palms gliding over her naked back, sliding up under the edge of her top to warm her skin before his fingers began the job of working muscle and sinew into something more pliable than the rock hard corded mass he felt beneath him, Booth marveled at how beautiful she looked. The small expanse of bare skin was flawless, felt like silk, and as it warmed to his touch he swore he smelled hints of heather, jasmine, and honey. Finding a particularly troublesome spot below her right shoulder, Booth added extra pressure to work the tension out of the knotted muscle. His efforts were rewarded with a small yelp of pain followed by a gutteral groan so erotic that he had to stop to regain control over his growing arousal.

"Jesus, Bones, you're like a rock back here. Why did you let it get so bad?" With control returning south of the border, he resumed working the trouble spot, and Booth was rewarded with another sexy groan. "Seriously, you're exhausted. You can't push yourself like this, no one can. Why didn't you just take the morning off?"

"Nnng…I couldn't Booth, you know how much work I have to dooo…" the last word degenerated into another low moan as Booth's fingers finally worked out the wearisome knot of muscle.

"Nonsense, Bones," Booth chided her as his hands slid to the other side of her back, though still under her top. "You need your rest. Push too hard and you get burned out, then you're no good to yourself or anyone else. You know I'm right."

Brennan didn't acknowledge his words as she was too busy trying to focus on staying in the chair. His hands had worked their way up from her sacrum to the muscles just below her scapulae, and the effects of his efforts magically transformed her mid and lower back from Portland cement to something more the consistency of warm gooey toffee. While the pain was gone from that region, and she was infinitely more relaxed, two problems immediately presented themselves: first, the ache in her shoulders and neck was now much more pronounced; and second, she was having difficulty sitting upright. Brennan felt Booth's hands withdraw from beneath her halter top, his fingers tracing a path on her skin as they went, and the shudder that passed through her then caused her to lose her purchase. Slipping away, something solid coiled around her from behind, Booth's scent and heat quickly overwhelmed her senses.

"Whoa, Bones! Almost lost you there. Does this mean you want me to stop?" Booth's jovial tone belied his concern.

"No," Brennan heard the concern in her partner's voice, and lightly shook her head. "You're not done yet. Shoulders, please."

"Sure thing, Bones. After all you did this week, anything my partner wants is the rule."

"Good rule…" Brennan's voice trailed off as she spoke, fatigue and Booth's massage were taking their toll.

Booth asked her a question, then another, then a third before she finally opted to simply nod in ascent from then on since every time she opened her mouth to speak it came out as an embarrassingly sexy moan. As he continued to work the knotted flesh, Brennan felt herself becoming lost in the moment, giving over to her partner's hands and acceding to his ministrations, no longer even attempting to contain how his hands made her feel, too exhausted to even try.

He smiled as he saw the change in her demeanor, his partner had gone from being overwhelmed by exhaustion to completely relaxed under his hands. The fact that she trusted him to take care of her made him smile all the more. Booth gently seized her shoulders, sliding his hands down them to guide her arms up and over, until they were crossed in front of her on her desk, where she could comfortably lay her head. Assured that she would remain in that position and not fall out of her chair, Booth returned his attention to her shoulders and neck. Brennan rested peacefully, just this side of sleep. He massaged her neck and shoulders thoroughly, working the deltoids and the trapezii patiently, manipulating the corded muscle that held weeks worth of tension and anxiety. His hands moved on to the splenii and the semispinalii until they once again felt warm and yielding to his touch. Throughout it all she had moaned, groaned, and on the odd occasion mewled her appreciation as he worked. It wasn't, however, until he decided to finish the job with a scalp massage that she finally, blissfully slipped away.

"Bones?" Booth had brushed back the hair from the side of her face and was whispering in her ear. "Temperance? I'm done now. Let's lay you down so you can get some sleep, okay?"

"m'kay Seeley," came Brennan's simple reply.

The childlike response, so soft and sweet, brought a surge of affection that put Booth's alpha-male personality into overdrive.

"Can you stand for me, Bones?" His voice urged her to get up, his hands slipped free from her hair and fell to her shoulders, his forearms loosely framing her drooping head. "Can you try?"

"mm-mmm. here's good. wanna stay with m'Seeley." Brennan's head lolled, a low groan escaping her throat. She wasn't quite asleep, but she'd finally succumbed to a combination of physical exhaustion and his talented hands, and the effect left her feeling as if she was floating on a cloud, a large Booth-scented cloud. She made no effort to move, fearing that any change could result in her losing the comforting sensation.

His breath hitched when she used his Christian name again, the sound of it from her lips it was almost lyrical, and definitely a sound he hoped to hear from her again. Sighing, Booth allowed himself the small pleasure of brushing the hair back from her face and placing a lingering kiss on her cheek. Straightening up, he decided to finally address the issue of an immobile Brennan, and moved to scoop her up in his arms. He was sure in the morning she'd karate chop him into oblivion, or possibly bury one of her high-heeled boots in his ass for going all alpha-male on her, but it was a fate he'd gladly accept if it brought her a moment's peace. She whimpered as he shifted her into his arms.

"Sshh, it's okay, baby. You don't have to move, I'll carry you," he whispered to her.

Leaning Brennan back in the chair, Booth easily pulled her to him, sliding one arm under her knees until she was cradled against his chest, the top of Brennan's head coming to rest against his shoulder. In one fluid motion she was quietly spirited away from her desk, her breathing deep and even as she rested in his arms, the warm, honey-sweet scent of her intoxicating him as he moved slowly, in fact much slower than necessary. Sure that this was all some wonderful dream, Booth nearly gasped as she pressed her face into his chest, a kittenish purr drifting upwards. He held perfectly still for a moment, luxuriating in the feel of her body against his own, but Brennan had her own idea, as she chose that particular moment to shift again, pressing her face into the crook of his neck, her lips placing feather light kisses there as she fisted handfuls of his shirt. Booth stifled a groan of protest, as her slumbering playfulness began to take its toll on his self control. He knew the things she was doing were simply a result of her exhausted state, her body's unconscious response to his physical proximity. Still there was a part of him that wished she was awake in his arms so he could reciprocate. Screwing his eyes shut in frustration as yet another series of butterfly kisses touched the skin along his neck and down to his clavicle, Booth gamely carried her the last few feet to her couch, despite the stilted gait he'd incurred from the uncomfortable tightening of his trousers.

Brennan felt the cool leather of the couch through her blouse and against the bare skin of her back and it stood in cold contrast to the near furnace-like heat that Booth radiated. He laid her down gently, gingerly detaching her from his neck even as she seemed to reach out for him. Brennan mumbled in protest, causing Booth to kneel beside her, reassuring her that it was alright. He did his best to get her situated, placing a pillow beneath her head, removing her shoes, and then, after some consideration, loosening her belt and unbuttoning the top button of her pants. That finally drew a response.

"mmm, Seeley"

"Shhh, Bones, don't worry, sweetheart. I'm just getting you comfortable is all. You need to rest now, okay?"

Booth pulled her throw down over her and tucked it in around her until only her head was showing. He deftly lifted Brennan's hair out from beneath the throw and smoothed it out carefully. He looked down at the angelic expression on her face and thought that he had never seen anything more beautiful. Unable to resist, Booth indulged himself in placing a innocent kiss on her lips, and then leaning forward he whispered into her ear.

"Rest now, Temperance." He brushed the hair from her face and allowed his fingers to trace the gentle furrow of her brow. Her eyes cracked open then and focused narrowly on him.

"s'nice Seeley." Brennan stared at him through hooded eyes and a sweet smile graced her lips. "love you."

"I love you too, Temperance," Booth responded automatically as he smiled back at her. He froze instantly once he realized what he'd said, what she'd said, then let loose a small breath at the thought that in this exhausted state his Bones would likely remember nothing in the morning. Instead of panicking he simply leaned forward and placed another chaste kiss on her lips. "You get some sleep now, okay?"

"m'kay…love m'seeley…go sleep…" and before she could finish her sentence, small, soft snores were all that he heard.

Booth stood up carefully, so as not to disturb her. Crossing her office he went to the stereo and began searching through the CD's in her collection. It didn't take long to find the one he wanted, Bernstein's Nocturne, and he set it to play softly, providing enough background noise to drown out any external intrusions from the lab. Next to her desk he went, a few seconds with paper and pen were productive enough, but more so was the unplugging of her desk phone and his turning off her cell. Heading for the door, Booth quickly shut the blinds, and then, gathering his jacket, took one last look at her laying contentedly on the couch, finally at rest, the faint sound of her soft snore and the melodic strains of the _Pavane pour une infante défunte_ filling the office. Sighing, Booth gently eased his way out of her office. Standing silently at the door, he listened for any sign of distress, but happily there was nothing but the soft sounds of Bernstein. Smiling to himself he taped the handwritten note to the door and turned away, humming along with the music. Booth couldn't help but grin as he thought of his beautiful partner and the unguarded moment they'd shared. Even if Brennan couldn't recall the words they'd spoken, even if she never said them again, the fact that they'd been said, that some part of her loved him, was more than he'd ever thought he'd deserve.

* * *

Camille Saroyan was an excellent pathologist and a thoroughly competent administrator but the work that her Forensic Anthropologist generated from one case alone was enough to make her crazy a dozen times over. She had stacks of invoices, vouchers, forensic reports, consultation requests, résumés , and more than a few complaint forms in her hands, all of which she was convinced needed Dr Brennan's immediate attention. Imagine her consternation when she approached the good Doctor's door, only to find her progress blocked by the impressive bulk of one Special Agent Seeley Booth, who'd been heading in the opposite direction. Booth regarded her intently, a look Cam was used to seeing him give suspects, not something she was used to experiencing from the receiving end.

"Where do you think you're going, Cam?" Booth's tone was short, clipped, and to the point.

"To see Dr Brennan, I've got a lot of things needing her signature and a few more résumés for her to look over." Cam attempted to step past him but he slid easily in front of her again.

"Sorry, Cam, you can't disturb Bones right now." Cam stared at the hand on her shoulder that had suddenly arrested her forward progress.

"Excuse me? I happen to be her boss, Booth, and unless she's not in her office or you have a damn good reason, I _am_ going in there."

Cam pushed his hand away and moved to get around him but found her progress halted yet again when he grabbed her shoulder and effortlessly spun her around.

"I said 'not gonna happen', Camille. What part of that didn't you get?"

"And I said '_I am still her boss_', Seeley," Cam hissed at him. "What part of that didn't you get?"

Booth and Cam locked eyes. Camille Saroyan was not a soft woman by any means and the steel in her eyes spoke to her determination. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, a street cop turned forensic pathologist. She'd seen it all and almost nothing fazed her anymore. The man across from her had been a friend and occasional lover for the last fifteen years and she'd thought she knew everything about him, but the look he gave her now made her hesitate.

"What's wrong Booth? What's going on?" Cam was genuinely worried now; Booth's behavior demanded nothing less.

"Nothing, Cam, it's just that this last case was rough on all of us and Bones hasn't had more than four hours sleep in the last three days. She's been swamped with work and you know how she feels about letting things pile up. Take that in there to her and she'll insist on getting up and working until she collapses from exhaustion."

"I should send her home then," Cam nodded, but Booth could see she was really asking for his opinion.

"No. Just let her sleep."

"She's sleeping?"

"Who's sleeping?" Angela had almost reached Brennan's office door when Booth snagged her arm and lead her away to stand next to Cam.

"Dr Brennan. Booth was just telling me she's exhausted and needs to rest."

"Oh, and I really need to talk to her." Angela bit her lower lip and looked over Booth's shoulder at the note hanging on the door. "A 'Do Not Disturb' sign, Booth? You really think that's going to work?"

Just then Wendell walked up to the group and started toward Brennan's door. His hand had already hit the handle when Booth's meaty paw closed around his collar and yanked him backwards with enough force to cause the papers in his hand to go flying. His yelp of surprise was cut short as Booth's free hand slammed over his mouth with an audible slap. Booth's voice whispered menacingly in his ears.

"Wendell, I'm going to let you go now, and you're not going to make any loud noises, is that clear?" Wendell nodded. "Good."

Booth released Wendell, who turned to speak with the Agent, the protest on his lips dying along with his courage as he saw the stone-cold look on Booth's face. Wendell cast about and saw that Angela and Dr Saroyan both were now looking at Booth with hesitant expressions. Booth relaxed somewhat and let out an exhausted groan.

"Okay, you're right, Angela, this isn't going to work. Everyone can see the sign, but in typical squint fashion, you all just assume it doesn't apply to you." He looked at them, from Angela, to Wendell, to Cam, and shook his head. "Cam, I'm going to pack up Bones' stuff and take her home. She'll be in late tomorrow. Make sure she gets NO calls between now and then. We get a body, I'll take You, Hodgins, Wendell, hell anyone I can get my hands on and deal with the fallout later."

"Good luck with that. If we get a case and Bren's not first on the scene she's going to be pissed, Booth. You know she doesn't like anyone messing around with her crime scene," Angela chided him.

"Seriously, Angela? After four years of working with Bones you think I somehow missed that little tidbit?" Booth snorted. "She won't like it and she'll bitch and moan to me about it until I'm ready to strangle her, but guess what? Better that, than she miss the next three cases because she's hospitalized for exhaustion."

Booth ran his hand through his hair and turned around to look at the assembled group of squints. He liked them all, he really did, but each and every one of them was getting on his _last_ fucking nerve.

"News flash, people, you all are the absolute best at what you do and that's why I like working with you guys, but _my_ FBI forensics team, you know, the one I've hand picked to work with Bones and me? The one that's logged four years of field time working her crime scenes? They're pretty damned good themselves when it comes to evidence collection. No rookies on my team, no one with less than a dozen recoveries and no one Bones doesn't know. Hell, Geier has been working with us since the beginning and even Bones trusts him to work the scene for her without losing evidence. We can handle a recovery without Bones for one day…not that I'm looking to proving that point."

"Uh-huh. And why is that?" The smirk on Angela's face made Booth grin in response.

"The woman has a mean right hook, that's why!" Angela chuckled at his admission.

"Alright Booth, I'll sort through everything and make sure her schedule is cleared through 9AM tomorrow. Get your girl home and make sure she gets some rest," Cam smiled at him. "And no late night hi-jinks."

"Ha. Ha. You're hilarious, Camille."

"Right back at ya', big guy. Oh, and Seeley?" Booth looked at Cam intently for a second. "Take care of yourself too. You're looking a little worn around the edges there."

"Thanks, Cam."

Booth stood there until Cam and Wendell had returned to work. Angela, however, hadn't moved, and stood expectantly, with her arms crossed, watching him intently.

"What, Ange?"

"Oh, I'm just wanting to see how you pull this off. She's not going to want to go, and if you try and carry her out of here she'll likely kick your ass, so I'm not moving – the show alone is worth the price of admission."

Booth's look of exasperation must have been comical instead of threatening, because the artist's face split into a large grin, despite his best efforts to shoo her away. Finally he shook his head at her and walked toward Brennan's office, carefully opening the door and stepping inside.

* * *

Angela watched Booth walk quietly through the door into Brennan's office. For some reason she half expected his attempt at stealth to be like any other man's, an over exaggerated dance involving walking on tip-toes and ridiculously choreographed movements that conveyed the idea of stealth but doing nothing to actually achieve it. In fact, Angela was so prepared for the spectacle that she'd held her breath expecting to stifle a laugh, or at least a chuckle, but she'd forgotten one thing. This was Booth.

Instead of the comically exaggerated mannerism she'd expected, Booth simply _was_ stealthy. Once the sounds of the door handle giving way and the faint whisper of the hinges shifting died out, there was nothing coming from the room except for the soft sounds of some easy listening music she couldn't quite place, and Brennan's own breathing. Booth made no noise, not only that, but his stance was almost catlike and the grace with which he moved was definitely feline. He glided across the floor, his feet making no sound at all, not even the soft tell-tale whisper of someone trying to pad across a hard surface in dress shoes. She became even more aware of his skill when she took the last few steps toward Brennan's door and was shocked at how loud her own foot falls sounded to her. Angela watched in awe then as he moved purposefully across the room, gathering files from her desk into her soft case, placing her laptop in there as well, as he quickly slung it around his shoulder. Next he grabbed her purse and in a surprising move he closed the distance between them and handed it to Angela. Her mouth must have been open because as she unhesitantly accepted the object thrust at her chest, she was stunned to feel his fingers pressed under her chin and push it closed. She would have said something caustic just then but the warm smile and liquid brown eyes that accompanied it chased any such thoughts from her mind.

With ample appreciation she noted his sheer physicality, watching as he swiftly and effortlessly gathered her best friend into his arms, throw and all. She smiled to herself as Brennan's arms automatically wrapped themselves around him, her hands interlacing behind his neck as her head burrowed its way into the join between neck and shoulder. Noting his physical aspects again she watched as Booth moved through the office and toward the doorway, Brennan enfolded in his arms, acting as if it took no more effort to carry her than it did to carry his jacket slung over his shoulder. She was entranced in the scene, but that trance ended when he spoke to her.

"Angela," Booth's attempt at a whisper was more of a hiss. "my phone, right front jacket pocket. Get it for me, please."

Angela did as he asked without question, snaking her hand beneath the dangling feet of her best friend and reaching carefully into the Agent's jacket pocket. She found his phone and retrieved it, holding it expectantly in front of him.

"Thanks. Speed dial '7' for me?"

Again Angela did so without question or comment, and as she heard it ring once, she held it to the side of his head. She assumed that he was calling to clear his schedule, but the conversation that happened next took an unexpected turn.

"Clarence? Hey Gunny it's Booth. Look I'm in Medico-Legal. I need a detail down here. Yeah, Brennan's own. Have them clear and seal the hallway from the lab exit all the way down to the garage. No, I need it sooner than now, I need it yesterday. No eyes or ears on this one either. Yep, that's right. Sure, we gotta protect our girl…good man, Clarence. We're leaving now. Thanks."

She snapped the phone shut once the conversation ended and looked expectantly at Booth.

"Thanks, Ange. Can you set it to vibrate and hang onto that for me."

"Sure, but won't you be needing your phone?"

"Yeah, but you can give it to me when we get to the truck." Booth saw the look of surprise in her face. "You wanted to see the show, no point leaving before it's over."

"Right, studly." She followed Booth as he set a leisurely pace toward the doors leaving the lab. "So, Brennan's own? Since when does Bren have her own security detail, and does she actually know that she has one? 'Cause I'm betting she doesn't."

"First, it's not like I'm being over-protective or anything…"

"No, not a bit," Angela rolled her eyes at the obvious lie.

Booth ignored her and continued. "…but after Epps, the Gravedigger, and the whole Gormogon fiasco? Well, I'm a realist Ange, and the reality of life in this line of work is that as long as she's my partner, she's at risk, and as much as I'd like to I can't hover around here 24/7 watching after her and still get my job done. I knew the solution but ultimately there were two problems. First, was finding anyone I trusted to stand in for me, I mean it's Bones for cryin' out loud no way I was letting the jokers working here handle it. Only the best would do for her and since the best wasn't available I needed to find a way to change that."

They'd come to the doors of the lab, and Booth waited while Angela held the door open for him and he stepped into the hallway, his precious cargo still sleeping soundly in his arms. Angela was stunned when she realized that the normally bustling hallway was devoid of any human presence other than their own.

"Anyway since the FBI screens all job applicants for the Jeffersonian's security office I managed to get that function officially added to my list of job responsibilities." Booth caught the look on her face and answered the question before it was even asked. "I'm the liaison, after all, who better to review and approve the security personnel than me?"

"Right. So then you took it upon yourself to use your new position to hire your own little army specifically to watch out for Bren? You know, sweetie, for someone who claims that you guys are just partners, you put a lot of effort into taking care of her and watching over her like a sweet, scarily over-protective boyfriend."

Booth didn't break stride and didn't bother to look at Angela as he responded.

"First of all, we _**are**_ partners Angela. I know you want us to be something more, but it just isn't going to happen before Bones is ready for it to happen. Even then…" Booth hesitated for a second, "when it happens. Well, I honestly don't know if I'm the right man for her."

Angela was momentarily speechless at his sudden admission. Booth all but declared that he was, in fact, in love with the woman he was holding, her best friend, but he seemed sad about it instead of happy. She couldn't understand how he wouldn't think he was the right man for Brennan.

"Trust me, honey, you're the right man for the job. Hell, you're the only man that hasn't left her, betrayed her, or broken her heart. In my book you're pretty close to the perfect man period, and believe me, Brennan's more than ready."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence Angela, but I-I've got a past. I've…done things, things I'm not proud of, things that…" His voice trailed off before he resumed his train of thought. "I just can't help but think that Bones deserves better than me."

"Better than a man who'll carry her all the way from her office to his car and drive her home? Better than a man who's put together his own private army just to protect her? Better than a man who'd close down an entire section of the Jeffersonian just to spare her ego?" Angela scoffed. "I'd like to meet that guy."

"How about a man that doesn't let her get to the point that she needs protecting? If I'd been a better partner and friend she wouldn't be so exhausted right now, she wouldn't need this."

"Okay, now you're just talking crazy, Booth. You know Bren, trying to stop her from doing what she wants to do is like fighting the incoming tide. You can try but it's coming in anyway." Angela touched his arm gently, making sure not to disturb Brennan, and squeezed the taut muscle affectionately. "The truth is, Booth, you've actually done it more times than I can count. In all the time we've been friends I've never known Brennan to change her mind once it's made up, but you've done it. You've changed her mind, you've pushed back the incoming tide Booth. You can't do it all the time, but you're the only person I've ever known who could do it at all. That in itself is nothing short of a miracle. You're good for her, you know, and you deserve her. Actually you two deserve each other."

The pair made the rest of the way in companionable silence. Brennan remained coiled in Booth's arms, sleeping soundly with only the faintest of kittenish sounds escaping to indicate how deeply she was asleep. The deserted hallways of the Jeffersonian were eerily quiet except for the soft pad of his feet and the click-clack of her boots as they walked. As they came to the elevator doors Angela pushed the buttons and accompanied the pair as the car went down to the garage.

In the garage she again found her way into Booth's jacket pocket, this time retrieving his keys and using the remote to unlock the doors to his SUV. Angela opened the passenger side door, and Booth carefully, almost reluctantly, placed his charge into the seat. He struggled to disengage her arms and had to enlist Angela's assistance in getting her hands from around his neck. Angela was amazed that she'd barely woken up at all, so exhausted was her friend that except for a few grumbles as her hands were pulled off Booth she hadn't stirred. Once she was settled into the passenger seat Booth pulled her seatbelt into place and gently closed the door.

"Thanks for everything, Angela." Booth held out his hands and accepted the keys and phone from her. "And do us both a favor, don't push Brennan. You know her better than anyone but on this one thing listen to me, please, and don't push her, okay? If you do and she's not ready for it, well, that won't go well for either of us. Anyway, even if she is ready I'm still not sure I'm the right guy for her."

"Hey, at least give yourself a chance? Maybe you should take your own advice for once, let her make up her own mind as to whether you're good enough for her. Brennan is a genius you know, and I'm no slouch in the relationship area. If we both think you're worth the risk maybe you should too."

"Yeah, maybe."

"By the way, you said there were two problems but you only really talked about one of them, what's the other?"

"Figuring out a way to tell Brennan that leaves all the important parts of my anatomy intact and functional." Booth's lopsided grin drew a small laugh from Angela. "Still haven't figured out a way to do that one."

"Good luck there, stud, even if you do it from another state she'll just wait until you get back to karate kick your ass into next week."

"Yeah, the physical beating I can take it's the anthropological lectures that scare me. I don't know what I'll do if she starts in on the 'inherent inequity of our patriarchal system as it applies to the opportunities and responsibilities available to girls in our society'," Booth's voice, though soft out of habit, managed to capture her tone perfectly, forcing Angela to choke back a laugh. "I swear the last time I heard that one it had me contemplating gnawing off a limb to escape."

Angela shot Booth a wry look. "That sounds almost like a real Bren speech too."

"It is, I swear. I got that one when she overheard me explaining to Parker that it was never okay to hit girls, even if they hit you first. I told him a gentleman should always protect a girl and if she gets violent, to leave before anything happens."

"And Bren had a problem with that?"

"Apparently I was perpetuating the antiquated notion of chivalry and promoting the stereotype that girls were inherently weaker than boys and needed to be protected."

Angela smiled at that, the thought of Booth and Brennan arguing over raising a child somehow seemed so right to her that she decided once the two finally were together that was her next mission – Aunt Angela had a nice ring to it anyway.

Booth gave Angela his best charm smile just then, complete with warm brown eyes designed to melt the hardest heart, grabbing her shoulders gently he leaned in placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks, Ange. I'll call to let you know she's home safe."

She felt the flush creeping into her cheeks even before he'd made it to his side of the SUV and placed the key in the ignition. Her senses were reeling as her friends drove off and as she finally came back to herself, the one thought that resounded through her mind was '_Damn, that man. One look, one little peck, and I'm tingling all over. How can Brennan keep from jumping his bones or turning into a pile of goo when she's with him as much as she is?_'

Sighing she turned and walked back toward the elevators. She would honor Booth's request and she wouldn't push Brennan, for now. But that didn't mean she wouldn't be pumping her best friend for every gory detail when she came back into work tomorrow, hopefully with a 'best sex of my life' glow about her. Now more than ever Angela Montenegro, professional artist, hopeless romantic, and part-time yenta, was sure those two belonged together. If only she could get them to see that as well.

* * *

_A/N: As always, feedback is welcome_


	2. Chapter 2 What Dreams May Come

**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately I don't own nor am I involved with the production of _Bones_. On the plus side, I work cheap so if Hart and Company are reading this - call me.

**Synopsis**: Sleep is a four letter word for one very exhausted pair of partners. How will Booth react when he finds his partner dealing with her nocturnal demons, and what can he do when the one tormenting her the most is him? Putting an exhausted anthropologist to bed isn't as easy as it sounds, and even Special Agents have their breaking point.

_A/N: Okay, it started as a one-shot now it's at least a triple shot - but who can say no to a triple shot of B&B? Not me, that's for sure! Anyhoo...you know that if we're gonna make it a triple we've got to have a little bit of angst and drama in there, so enjoy. As always, adult situations and language apply._

**Chapter Two - What Dreams May Come**

* * *

The SUV weaved seamlessly through DC traffic, rolling to gentle stops at every intersection, accelerating smoothly every time it stilled. The occupants were in no hurry, and in truth only one of them was cognizant of actually being in the SUV. Booth changed lanes again, sliding the large SUV between two smaller compact vehicles. He was accustomed to driving with a sense of urgency, but the urgency had been replaced with a need for purposeful ease. The cargo he carried was simply too precious to disturb. Booth chanced a look over at his sleeping partner. She looked so small and helpless curled up in the passenger seat, still wrapped up in the throw from her office and snoring ever so lightly. By the time they'd pulled up to her apartment building he was beginning to feel the effects of the last few days himself. He pulled into her vacant spot and carefully exited the SUV. As he walked around to Brennan's side of the SUV, he pulled out his phone and quickly dialed up her building's security office.

"Hey Reggie, it's Booth. Yeah, listen we've got a situation here. Yep, Dr B is in a bad way. She's just exhausted, man. Well you know how it is, she works her fucking ass off all the time, and these last few days, between the job, her book, her family, her friends… Yeah, that's it, man. Everybody else comes first. She's just too busy thinking about others to take care of herself sometimes. Of course, that's why God put you and me here, right Reg? Yep, I've got her in the truck right now. Sure, man. Nah, she's fast asleep. I figured I'd try and carry her up to her place so I could put her to bed, but you know what? I'm missing that third arm to open her door. Yeah, you got it in one, Reg. Good man. Listen, I'll meet you up there in say, five minutes? Nah, I doubt I'll be staying too long, but if I do wind up crashing there, do me a favor? Let Carl know before you leave so we don't have a repeat of Labor Day. Yeah, getting the truck out of impound was not how I wanted to spend my fucking day off, and if we have a repeat, I might have to shoot his ass. Cool. Thanks, man, see ya' in a few."

Booth opened her car door and carefully unbuckled her seat. Brennan shifted slightly as he leaned over her to adjust the throw and gather her into his arms. He'd no sooner slid an arm under her legs, and her arms seemed to instinctively wrap themselves around his neck again. He gently lifted her from the seat and shifted her slight form until she was nestled securely against his chest. Almost as if on queue, Brennan actually shifted to get even closer to him, molding her body against his until she fit securely in his arms. Booth caught her door with his hip and quietly pushed it closed, then made his way up the path.

He was met at the entrance to her apartment building by the security manager, Reggie Brown. Reggie was another one of Booth's special projects. They'd met three years ago at a Gambler's Anonymous meeting and he knew the man's life story in a heartbeat: retired metro cop, thirty years on the force and twenty of those in narcotics until he'd lost it all – wife, home, pension – all because he couldn't say no to Lady Luck and the bright casino lights. He'd been in recovery for five years, but had trouble hanging onto a decent job because of his attitude. He got on well with Booth though, and after the whole Epps fiasco and the Gravedigger kidnapping, Booth managed to find a home for him as the new security manager of Brennan's apartment complex. It worked out all around. Brennan's home was better off with Reggie running the show, and the guy's attitude and experience were rubbing off on the SOs he managed. More importantly, Reg had a soft spot in his heart for Brennan, and he agreed that someone as exceptional as her needed more than just conventional security.

Booth sometimes wondered what Brennan would do if she knew the lengths he'd gone to in an attempt to ensure her safety, to make sure that whatever happened she would always be taken care of, even if he wasn't around. He almost snorted out loud, who was he kidding? She'd kick his ass up and down the street until her foot fell off, that's what she'd do. Hell, even he thought it was a bit over the top, but what was he gonna do? He couldn't risk losing her, couldn't risk that someday someone might get lucky, might get to her when he wasn't there to save her. The least he could do was make sure that she had the best protection he could provide her.

Reg was silent all the way up the elevator, and when they reached the top, Booth was startled to realize there was no customary chime indicating they were there. He looked at Reggie who just smiled knowingly. The man was a genius, disabling the elevator car alarm. Booth just smiled back and waited at Brennan's door as Reg got his master key out and carefully unlocked Brennan's door to let them in, and then, without having to be told, Booth heard the door close softly behind him and the deadbolt slide into place. Booth sighed; finally the easy part was over. Now, he just had to get her into bed.

He carefully picked his way through her apartment to her bedroom, nudging the door open with his foot he did a double take. He'd seen the inside her bedroom just once before, and then only a glimpse in passing, but he'd recalled every detail of it, from the soft mushroom colored walls and expensive mahogany bedstead, to the silk brocatelle wall panel hanging over her bed and the antique mirror and dresser. Brennan's bedroom was typically her, at once impressive, beautiful, and comfortable to him. Yet now he looked about and all he saw was an unmade bed, blankets and duvet twisted about, half on the floor, dirty food containers, silverware and glasses piled on both nightstands; it was so...not Bones. His heart stilled momentarily as he tried to process the scene. The remains of a romantic tryst perhaps? He took a few tentative steps toward the bed, and that's when he saw the nail polish resting atop a stack of gossip magazines sitting on the floor, and next to them a half empty bottle of Merlot. Angela. Booth shook his head sadly realizing that she must have come over for some girl time and kept Brennan up most of the night in the process. Carefully laying Brennan down in the heart of the monstrosity, he fluffed the pillow for her head, pulled the covers up and tucked her in, then set about picking up her bedroom as quietly as possible.

It took some time, nearly twenty minutes, moving as quietly as he could, but Booth managed to get all of the dirty dishes collected from around the apartment and set into the sink to soak. He took the trash out, gathered her work materials, soft case, and laptop from the SUV. He even cleaned out the refrigerator, tossing the containers of stale leftovers from the last week's worth of ordering out. When he was done and he saw how little food there was left in the place, he called in a small order for groceries from the nearby bodega. He knew Brennan shopped there frequently despite her vocal commitment to local growers and the farmers market. It wasn't hypocrisy, just the simple fact that with their busy schedule convenience won out more often than not. Still he made sure to order as much 'organic' foodstuffs as he could, and made a mental note to tease her about it all later. He left explicit instructions for the delivery guy that he was to be called when the order arrived, and that no one was to ring the bell or knock under any circumstances. He finished washing the dishes, swept and mopped the kitchen floor for her, and then took a few seconds to relax. The rattle of his phone on her coffee table alerted him to the arrival of the grocery order, and Booth instinctively shushed the delivery man as he opened the door.

* * *

The door closed with a muffled thud and the deadbolt slid shut with a snick. With the delivery man paid and the door secured, Booth turned toward the kitchen with his bounty, intent on putting the food away before he left. It was the sounds of distress from Brennan's bedroom that changed his mind. Booth dropped the box of groceries on her coffee table and padded quickly to her room, freezing in place as he took in the sight of his partner sitting upright in bed, half naked and struggling to finish the job, even as she fought the tangle of blankets and sheets that had wound their way around her legs. He spotted the throw from her office, cast off on the floor, undoubtedly the first victim in Brennan's battle for comfort, and quickly snatched it up. Approaching slowly then, his eyes carefully averted, he held the throw in front of him until he could wrap her up in it. Holding it in place over her naked chest with one hand, Booth fell to his knees beside her bed and his free hand found hers and seized them in affectionate control.

"Bones? Hey, Booones?" Booth fought to control her wildly flailing arms through the throw and smiled as Brennan finally stilled. "C'mon, Bones, whatcha doin?"

Brennan turned toward him and he saw her unfocused gaze through half-hooded eyes and he knew she was still asleep. He couldn't stop the smile that erupted on his face, but he swore she'd never looked cuter or more innocent than at that moment. He carefully brushed aside the hair that had fallen in front of her face, hesitating only briefly as she pressed her cheek into his open palm and snuggled against it.

"Mmph. Too many clothes…m'hot Seeley. t'many clothes on…" Brennan struggled beneath the throw to remove the remainder of her clothing.

"Okay, Bones, shhhh. C'mon now…Temperance? Behave for me, okay?" Booth's voice had fallen into a sotto voce range he used when Parker was having trouble sleeping.

"M'kay Seeley. But m'got t'many clothes on." Brennan's pout became pronounced. "t'many clothes, take 'em off me."

Booth groaned as Brennan held her arms out toward him expectantly. Here she was, his beautiful partner, the woman he loved … tired, vulnerable, half naked, and begging him to finish the job. If this wasn't a test from God it was certainly one of Satan's better temptations. He smiled indulgently, gently stroking her cheek.

"Okay, Bones, just let me get you something to wear just…just sit still for me okay sweetheart?"

He made his way to her dresser and rooted through the drawers, stopping when he saw what lay atop the pile of pajama pants and camisoles, one of his old Ranger t-shirts and a pair of his old paisley cotton boxers. He recalled the last time he'd seen them, a few months back. They'd had a particularly rough case, the kind that led to them drinking to forget and wound up with him crashing on her couch. The next morning he took a shower and she grabbed his grungy clothes to wash for him. Brennan had suggested he just leave them at her place so he'd have something to wear next time. But less than two weeks later he'd come by unannounced and caught her lounging in them. Her cheeks pinked when he finally forced a confession, she'd kept them because they were the most comfortable pajamas she'd ever worn; now he was the one blushing. The sight of her that morning, her bashful admission, those two seemingly insignificant things gave him dreams and fantasies he was still dealing with, not to mention an erection that seemed to have lasted for weeks. And now this?! This was just going to make matters worse; but it was for her, and for her, he'd find a way to live with it.

Booth returned to the bed only to see her laying half off of it. Brennan had gotten tired of waiting for him and somehow had managed to strip her pants and panties halfway down her legs before almost falling off the bed. Booth closed his eyes against the delectable sight of her naked body and carefully guided her back to the bed. He got little to no assistance from the nearly comatose Brennan, yet still managed to finish undressing her without actually looking at what he was doing. He slipped on the t-shirt and boxers, and somehow managed to get the recalcitrant anthropologist tucked in again. Looking down upon her, he smiled. There were few things Booth found more breathtaking than the sight of Temperance Brennan at ease, content in slumber. The childlike innocence she exuded made her all the more beautiful to him, and he knew then how bad he really had it for her. Perhaps Angela was right; perhaps when the time came, he would give himself a chance. Smiling, he finally turned to leave her alone, in the comfort of her bed, to sleep, perchance to dream.

* * *

At half past seven Booth was finally wrapping things up. He'd cleaned her apartment, put away the groceries, and then, after retrieving his own laptop from the SUV, actually managed to take care of a few hours work. He was fighting exhaustion himself now. He'd managed to keep going for the last three days by sucking down pot after pot of coffee and speed eating protein bars instead of real food, and he was pretty sure if he didn't crash soon he'd have an ulcer from all the crap he'd consumed just to keep moving. Right now all he wanted was to go home and collapse into bed. Fighting back a yawn, he was just about to leave Brennan for the night when he heard the moans coming from her bedroom. A slight smile passed Booth's lips as he padded toward her doorway, only this time when he looked in it was not the adorably cute sight he'd seen previously. Instead Brennan was there, again thrashing about the bed in obvious distress, but this time it was different, this time there was nothing cute or alluring about the moans that were filling the room, and the thrashing was violent, not whimsical, almost to the point of panic. She was having a nightmare. Booth moved instantly to her side, hoping to calm her, but as he got closer her speech became more distinct, and he knew what the nightmares were all about…they were all about him.

Sitting carefully on the edge of her bed, and even more carefully reaching for her, he tried to cage her wildly flailing limbs. It was a struggle to gather her into him, to stop her thrashing about and hurting herself, or him. More so a struggle since the entire time she was narrating her own nightmare for him. Booth listened to her as she cried, wailed, and moaned out his fate; he was leaving her, he was dying. He was dying in her arms, he was shot and bleeding, stabbed, buried alive. The method varied but the end did not; he was leaving her, he was fading away. His attempts to quiet her failed miserably. Whatever he said didn't matter, in the nightmare the outcome was always the same, he was dead, and she was alone.

"Booth - No!" "Don't die on me!" "Come on, Booth!" "Don't leave me, Seeley!"

With each outburst his chest tightened a little, the sight of her face contorted in pain, the plaintive sound of her voice tore at the core of his being. To know he was the cause of this much pain was ripping him apart inside, finally he acted, instead of reacted. Feeling the need to show her he was alive, to stop her nightmare, Booth abandoned any pretense of being gentle and instead took her by the shoulders and pulled her roughly into his lap, crushing her against his chest as he called out to her.

"Bones. **BONES**!" She tried to pull away at the sound of her name, her face turned toward his own, her eyes snapped open seeking his. Booth looked back into her eyes, but she was staring through him, paralyzed with fear and remorse she looked at him sightlessly, nothing registering. He called out her name, and grabbing her hard by the shoulders he shook her again. Brennan blinked a few times, her eyes slowly coming to focus on his face. "Bones…Temperance, sweetheart. I'm here. I'm alive. I'm not leaving you."

"you did…you died." Brennan looked at him, hard. Her hands found his chest, her fingers flexed, digging her blunt nails into the sheer material and the flesh underneath. He was real. He was there. He was alive and holding her. "You died, Booth, you left me. You say you won't ever leave, but _you_ _left_ _me_…"

Her eyes fixed him motionless, her voice shredded his consciousness, but it was what she said that undid him. Each word was a hammer blow to his heart, and before long he felt tears of shame piling up in his eyes; shame that he'd done this to her, shame that he'd hurt her so much, shame that he was afraid to tell her how much he loved her. Too exhausted to think anymore he acted on instinct and pulled her hard against him. He rubbed her back, stroked her hair, kissed the side of her head repeatedly. A tremor passed through her, her body stiffened from fear at first, then softened under his touch, and finally collapsed into his form. Brennan pressed her face into his chest, tucking her head under his chin in an attempt to get even closer.

"I won't ever leave you again, sweetheart. Never again, Temperance." He felt, rather than saw, the effect those words had on her, the trembling in her limbs told him she needed more.

"Never again, Temperance, never ever again." He kissed the top of her head.

"never again," she whispered the words into his chest.

"never again," his lips whispered back into her hair.

They held one another in silence. Brennan wrapped her arms around him, her fingers dug into his deltoids as she tried to pull herself closer, to burrow into his chest. Booth cradled her in his arms, doing his best to crush her to him. In time they each relaxed somewhat, and Booth's hands found themselves in familiar territory, at the small of her back, trailing up and down her spine and tracing a lazy path in a vain attempt to ease away the pain he'd caused. It took time, but Brennan finally did relax, and that's when the tears came. It was as if the only thing holding them back was the fear that this wasn't real, that he wasn't there holding her, stroking her back, trying to make it all go away. But feeling the beat of his heart under her cheek, the heat of his breath on the back of her neck, the soft drone of his voice in her ear, reassuring her again and again, she knew then that it was real. He was real. He was there offering to take the burden from her, and she finally let it go.

Booth felt the first drops on his t-shirt, soaking into the fabric. A few more tears fell before he felt the first faint shudder, so faint he thought she was simply shivering from the coolness of the room. Then more tears, more shuddered sobs, and before long he could feel her body shaking, sobs breaking from her chest, her throat gasping for air between them, and the tears were a torrent of exhaustion, soul weariness, and anguished suffering. With each heart wrenching cry a little piece of his own heart broke, and before long it was his tears that were falling. Booth was not a man prone to tears, not since his father had literally beaten them out of him as a child. Yes, he may have shed one here or there, in sorrow or in joy, but there had been only one occasion, since he was twelve, that he could remember truly crying. That occasion was Parker's birth, when he thankied God for the gift of his son; this would be the second. The tears came and Booth cried now for her. He cried for his partner, the woman he loved more than his own life, the woman who gave his life meaning. He cried for the pain he'd caused her, and for all that she'd endured since long before they'd met. He cried for the way she denied herself the simple pleasures in life, as if such small indulgences made her weak. And finally for the bruised and battered heart she hid so well, he cried.

* * *

Brennan's sobbing slowly abated, her chest burned from the exertion and her throat felt rough and sore. Little by little as the torrent of emotions subsided with her tears, she became aware of where she was and who was holding her. She was in her room, at home, and she was wrapped in Booth's arms. A flush of color flooded her cheeks as her position became clear. She moved to disengage herself from him, to pull back and attempt to preserve some sense of dignity if she could, but no sooner had she managed to push against him than his arms pulled her back in, even tighter, against his chest. She felt it then, the slight tremor that ran through his body, the dampness on her shoulder, her neck, the side of her head. He was crying. Booth was holding her and crying. Brennan's first instinct was to run, somehow irrationally she blamed herself for everything. She'd broken down in front of him, shown herself to be weak and pitiable, and that had somehow upset him; his crying was her fault, so the answer was to run.

She pushed against him harder and he simply redoubled his efforts to contain her. His strength, his sheer physical presence made it difficult for her to resist him, the heat that pulsed through his body seared her soul, warmed her from the inside, weakened her resolve. Finally Brennan surrendered to him, let him crush her to his chest again, as he stroked her back and dropped frantic, needful kisses upon her head, her temple, the side of her face. Brennan stilled within his arms and simply let him be. Booth held her close, between the desperate kisses he dropped on her head and cheek, he whispered sweet entreaties for her forgiveness, pleaded for a second chance to prove he wouldn't leave, would never abandon her again. Listening to his anguished voice it dawned on her that they shared this guilt; he blamed himself for her tears just as she blamed herself for his, though neither was wholly responsible. Knowing for once what needed to be done, she shifted in his arms again, only this time instead of pushing away she was pulling him closer.

Booth stiffened at first, feeling Brennan twist in his grasp. It had taken everything in him to hold her that last time and he was too emotionally and physically drained to resist her again. If she wanted to leave there was naught he could do to stop her anymore. So it was then, when he felt her arms snake around his torso, her body shift so she sat more comfortably in his lap, her head nestle comfortably in the crook of his neck, that he finally relaxed his hold. Tears still leaked down his cheeks, his breathing still ragged, and his voice still choked with emotion, but it was hearing her speak to him, words so sweet no honey was sweeter, that finally healed his heart.

"It's okay, Booth," Brennan whispered against his neck. "It's not your fault, it isn't. You have to believe me. _We're_ okay, Seeley."

Booth looked down at her then, his brown eyes muddy with emotion, rimmed red from crying. Brennan saw the extent of his distress. She saw her pain, her fear, her uncertainty, all reflected back in his eyes. Instinctively she cupped his face, fingers scorched by the heat of his cheeks, and she turned him until they were but a breath apart.

"I-I want to Bones, I want to believe, but I, I've hurt you so much. I can't stand that I've hurt you so much…"

"No, you haven't, Booth. You couldn't ever." Brennan brushed the side of his face, her fingers finding their way into his hair, as her eyes bore into his, willing him to accept what she was saying, "I trust you, and I believe in you. You'll never hurt me Seeley, you never have."

There was a moment then, Booth holding Brennan in his arms, Brennan holding Booth in her hands, their eyes locked on one another, speaking those things too painful for words, too personal even for this most intimate of moments. She felt it then, that slight shiver that ran through him. She knew at once it was all too much for him to deal with. He'd not slept or rested since he'd brought her home. As tired as she was, he must be past exhaustion, and now this? Her Booth was the single strongest man she'd ever met, but even he had to have his limits, and she knew they'd just found them. She felt it then. Call it her 'gut', call it careful analysis of observed behavior, call it what you will, but she knew in her heart he was going to run unless she acted.

Booth's head swam with emotion, his senses reeled beneath the sudden assault of sight and sound and scent, but it was the touch of her lips that pushed him over the edge. He'd been panicked, on the verge of bolting from her room, her bed, her. He'd even thought of the excuse he'd give her the next day, but it was all moot now, because Temperance Brennan had closed the negligible space between them and was devouring his lips. He felt her mouth brush lightly over his at first, then press eagerly. Her tongue darted out to trace the edge of his lower lip. A small gasp in surprise gave it the opening it sought and before it could properly register, the silken muscle was dancing in his mouth, caressing and seducing him. Booth hesitated for but a second before the sensations overwhelmed him. Blood rushing in his ears, heart thundering in his chest as he returned the kiss with every ounce of need and want he held within him, every drop of passion he felt for her. His own tongue pushed between her tender, swollen lips, raked across her teeth, tangled with her own in a velvet embrace. They united in a sensual dance, wrapped around one another, seeking purchase in each other's mouths until their tongues, their mouths, the heat of their kiss, threatened to explode.

When they finally parted it was for lack of oxygen, not want, and foreheads touching, the two gasped and gulped for air until a ragged laugh roke free from Booth's lips. He pulled back a bit to see into Brennan's eyes and he shook his head slightly, laughing again and setting off her own wave of chuckles. The laughter subsided, their foreheads came to rest again, Booth smiled sweetly at Brennan, both their faces pink and flushed from recent efforts, both mouths bruised and swollen from their ministrations,

"What," his voice was thick with emotion, "What was that?"

Brennan loosed a small laugh then, one hand cupping, caressing his cheek, her thumb ghosted across his bruised lips as she smiled back at him. "_That,_ was wonderful."

"It was good, wasn't it?" Booth managed to smirk. "Not even a little bit like kissing Russ this time, huh?"

"No. Russ and I were never quite that…close." Brennan's coy smile was met with a stunned look from Booth that soon melted into one of genuine joy as he laughed heartily at her joke.

"Oh, God, Bones!" Booth snorted finally, "You gotta give a guy some warning next time." Shaking his head he looked at her again, "What I meant to say was, what brought that on?"

"The kiss?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, the kiss." Booth looked intently at her, a measure of his old self having already returned.

Shrugging, Brennan's gaze dropped. "It seemed like the thing to do."

"Come again?"

"I, I was in distress and you were comforting me, and then you…" Brennan's voice trailed off, she refused to meet Booth's gaze until his fingers found her chin and forced her to look into his eyes.

"Go on, Bones, then I…?"

"Then you were in distress."

"I was in distress?"

"Yes. I, I was crying and you held me, comforted me, made me feel as if it would all be alright again and then I saw your distress, your pain..."

"I was in distress, so you kissed me?"

"Yes. No. It-It's more complicated than that." She saw the warm, pleading look in his eyes and yielded to his need once again. "I heard what you were saying, Booth, what you were feeling, what you were trying to get me to understand; I heard it all, and I felt it all too." Brennan paused then until he nodded briefly. "Seeley, you could never hurt me, not willingly, not you, but I didn't know how you felt about…everything, between us I mean, not until now. You won't leave me, you won't betray me. I know that now. I-I think I've always known that, it's why I trust you so completely."

"You do?"

"More than you know, and apparently more than I knew as well."

"Until now?"

"Until now."

"So the kiss?"

"I could see it in your eyes, so much hurt, so much pain, and all because you blamed yourself for hurting me when you hadn't, when you never could, never have. I could see it in your eyes, you heard the words I was saying but you couldn't feel them." Her mouth quirked upwards at the corners, "Sometimes words aren't enough, sometimes you need to feel."

"So the kiss."

"I needed _you_ to feel about you, what _I_ feel about you. So I kissed you."

"I see." Booth's own mouth quirked upwards at the edges now, "And did you maybe get an idea of how I feel about you too?"

"I might have an inkling," her soft smile widened, "although collecting more data is always helpful when attempting to arrive at the correct conclusion." He laughed heartily and placed an impulsive kiss on the end of her nose, before dazzling her with his best charm smile.

Brennan blushed at the beaming smile he gave her, one hand absently caressing his cheek before he captured it in his own. Booth turned her hand over and placed an open-mouthed kiss on her palm. "You are the heart of my heart, Temperance." Booth's lips moved lower and he placed another kiss on the pulse point of her wrist, eliciting a small gasp. "Never doubt it for a second."

Brennan's hand slipped from his, falling to his chest. There was a glimmer of understanding in her eyes when she saw the question that lay unasked. The one hand seized a fistful of shirt while the other, still resting on his shoulder, grabbed him by the neck and pulled him to her. Their lips crashed together in a brief, heated kiss that was all teeth and tongues and bruising lips, and when they parted a minute later the tell-tale flush was rising on her cheeks. "Do you…?" she hesitated, her voice trailing off.

"Yes, I do." Brushing back the strands of hair that had fallen forward, Booth tucked them carefully behind one ear before leaning in and placing a sweet, chaste kiss on her cheek before whispering into her ear. "I swore I'd never leave you again Bones, and I meant it. I'll stay as long as you let me."

Brennan couldn't contain the quiver that ran through her then, or the yawn that followed. Blushing, she felt Booth's hands on her shoulders, guiding her back onto the bed.

"C'mon Bones, let's get you to bed."

"You too." Brennan saw the hesitation in his eyes, "You said…"

"And I meant it, Bones, every word." The neutral tone of his voice belied the chaos in his eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure, Booth." Brennan struggled to hold back a yawn but failed terribly. Booth couldn't help but imitate her a few seconds later. Smiling sleepily now she pulled back the covers and patted the space next to her, "C'mon, Seeley, bed time."

"I hear that, Bones." Booth quickly stripped down to his boxers and then, hesitating for only a second, peeled off his t-shirt before climbing into bed beside her and adjusting the covers. Brennan gravitated instantly toward him, her head finding his shoulder, her arm falling possessively over his stomach, her legs becoming entwined with his. The emotional rollercoaster ride they'd been on had ended, and sleep was ready to claim them both. But Brennan could sense Booth wasn't ready to let go yet. Tilting her face upwards, her hand left his stomach, stroking and tickling his chin until he turned to look at her.

"What's up, Bones?"

"You're exhausted, why aren't you asleep?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Temperance."

"I'm can't fall asleep, Seeley, because I can tell something's still bothering you." Her fingers fell from his chin and began tracing lazy circles on his chest as she spoke. "You're still sure, aren't you? You're not having second thoughts?"

"What? Oh, hell no," Booth shifted in bed, turning toward her so he could more easily look into the depths of her cerulean blue eyes. "Temperance, sweetheart, I told you already, you are the heart of my heart. I meant that, no second thoughts about us, not from me, not ever." As he finished he placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Then what is it, Seeley? What are you worried about?"

"It's stupid really." Booth caught the stubborn look in her eyes and knew he'd tell her one way or the other, sighing; he closed his eyes and talked. "It's just that this all happened because we're both so tired, I mean physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted, and I, I wonder if maybe we're screwing it up, because it doesn't feel like I thought it would."

"How did you think it would feel?"

"I don't know…I guess I thought the first time I really got to share a bed with you, you know, not on assignment or undercover but just me and you? Well I thought the first time would be after a date or something special, and we'd both be nervous and, and anxious about what the other thought and I'd have butterflies in my stomach…"

"Why would you have lepidoptera in your digestive tract, and is there a specific species involved or is it just…"

"Bones, please, enough with the squintanese. It means 'nervous', but a good kind of nervous, okay?"

"Okay, so you're upset that you're not nervous, a good kind of nervous, about being in bed with me?" Brennan saw acknowledgement in his eyes. "Booth? Why would you feel nervous about being in bed with me, or are you really just nervous about us? Don't you want there to be an _Us_?"

"God, yes Bones, of course I do, it's just that…you know, I guess it's just that I can't shake this feeling that I don't really deserve you, or _Us_."

"Seeley Joseph Booth, don't you ever say anything like that again. I may not know much about how relationships work, especially successful ones, and there's a lot I'm not sure of, like love, monogamy, or marriage, but I know that you do. You know these things, Booth." Brennan gripped his chin firmly with her fingers, fixing him with her eyes. "You are a good man, Seeley Booth. A good, honest man, and no one else has ever gotten as close to my heart as you have, no one else has been as patient, or as determined, or as caring, and I'm counting on you to teach me about all of those things, so how can you think that you don't deserve a chance?"

"It's just that…I've just done so much in my past, so many wrongs to be righted, so many sins to be redressed. I can't believe I deserve a chance with someone as wonderful as you. You're the best thing that could ever happen to me Bones, I just don't want to screw this up and lose you."

"You won't Booth, not as long as you stop acting like I'm going to run away or vanish into the air the moment your back is turned. I want this, Seeley, as much as you do. And everything you feel about me, I feel that about you. Didn't our kiss show you that?"

The edges of Booth's mouth quirked upward slightly, "Maybe you need to remind me, Bones, after all it was just one kiss and it was…oh, a good fifteen minutes ago."

Booth leaned in, Brennan reached up, and somewhere in the middle the two met. Unlike the last kiss, this was not all about teeth and tongues and bruising lips. It was soft and sensual, their lips ghosting over one another at first, parting slightly as their breaths mingled, then touched again, and again, each pass lasting longer, becoming more insistent, until they met in the fullness of the moment. Lips already swollen fell upon one another with tender urgency, tongues already well acquainted danced anew, caressing one another as lovers. With each second the kiss deepened, softly, urgently, a wealth of passion and love in each mouth's embrace, and as before, when finally the twain did part it was not for lack of want. Panting slightly, Booth regarded Brennan's face, her eyes hooded as she reveled in the passing passion of their kiss. On impulse his lips descended, a chaste kiss on each lidded eye, and then her forehead. He was rewarded with a sweet smile that seemed to light up Brennan's eyes as she gazed lovingly at him.

"Mmm, thank you Seeley. That was even better than the last time." Brennan laid her head on Booth's chest again, her fingers idly dancing on his skin.

"Yes it was, Bones, yes it was."

"Still need for me to show you?"

"Not now, Bones, maybe tomorrow though. I think, definitely tomorrow." His fingers caressed her neck lightly and Brennan moaned happily as she pressed herself into him, resting her head over his heart. Booth tightened his grip as Brennan snuggled closer to him, and pulled the covers up over them both. With his last coherent thought he placed a final chaste kiss upon her head and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

_

* * *

__A/N: As always, feedback is welcome_


	3. Chapter 3 The Harsh Light of Day

**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately I don't own nor am I involved with the production of _Bones_. On the plus side, I work cheap so if Hart Hanson and Company are reading this - call me.

**Synopsis**: The morning after and it's time for the partners to deal with the night before, but will they deal with the issues that exhaustion awoke or will they simply try to avoid them in the harsh light of day?

_A/N: As always, adult situations and language apply._

**Chapter Three - The Harsh Light of Day**

* * *

He woke with a start, his eyes snapping open even as years of training kept his body frozen in place. Blinking away the sleep, he adjusted to the pre-dawn light filtering in through the window and he let his gaze wander about the room. Stifling a grunt of surprise he could only smile, he was so sure last night had been a dream. Feeling Brennan shift in his arms his smile broadened knowing it was not only real, but better than any dream. He allowed himself the luxury of staring at the woman in his arms. Brennan was curled into his side, her head resting on his chest. In the grey morning light her auburn hair had turned a burnished chestnut, contrasting with the pallid ivory of her flawless skin which had taken on an almost divine glow. He couldn't help himself as the arm that curled protectively around Brennan pulled her even more snuggly against him. A nervous breath escaped as she adjusted readily to being nearly atop him, and his smile grew as she turned her head until it was tucked under his chin.

The room was quiet again; the only sounds to be heard were the steady rhythm of her breathing and the rush of blood in his ears as he studied her glorious face. With quiet deliberation the fingers of one hand reached across to push a few wayward strands of hair from her face. The fingers of his other hand rested gently against a small patch of bare skin on her back, where the t-shirt she wore had ridden up in the night. Booth let loose a soft sigh, he'd slept a nearly dreamless sleep and wasn't tired in the least, so he contented himself with watching her, memorizing the sight of her in an unguarded state, for once free of worries, safe from nightmares. He found a simple joy, a feeling of peace settle over him as he watched her. Slowly the vision of her in his arms mesmerized him, and before the grey light could give way to gold he was asleep again.

* * *

He awoke again almost an hour later, neither of them had moved. It was several more minutes before he heard her breathing change tempo, then felt her stirring against him. Not seeing a need for shyness after the night they'd shared, he tightened his grip impulsively, arms coiling about Brennan in response to her growing restlessness. Brushing the hair from her face, Booth indulged himself, allowing his fingers to continue on their journey around her ear, following the line of her jaw where they curled under her chin and tilted her face toward his. Lips parting naturally even as her eyes remained screwed shut, '_So like an Angel_' he thought. Feeling the caress of her sweet breath over his lips and he couldn't help but ghost a gentle kiss there. As light as his touch was Brennan responded instantly, kissing him back gently at first, then harder, more ardently. Booth deepened the kiss, and shivered at her hand wandering upward from the plane of his stomach to cup the nape of his neck. He smiled into her lips, rolling them over so Brennan was suddenly pinned beneath him.

A surprised yelp from Brennan was cut short as their lips reconnected. Before long Booth's mouth strayed, placing butterfly kisses along her jaw until he came to the tender flesh near her ear. His tongue snaked out to trace a path on the sensitive skin, stopping to nip and kiss each time he found a spot that caused her breath to hitch. When he pulled her earlobe into his mouth, sucking on it gently, he heard a low moan erupt from the back of her throat, and when his teeth racked the fleshy lobe before releasing it with a pop, he drew a kittenish mewling.

Nuzzling her cheek Booth worked his way back toward her lips, and the two were soon panting into one another's mouths. Breaking the heated kiss, both remained still, chests burning for lack of oxygen, foreheads touching, eyes locked on one another until finally Booth's husky voice broke their morning reverie.

"Mornin' Temperance," kissing her sweetly, breaking contact before the kiss became too deep. "Sleep well?"

She wasn't sure if it was the way his eyes were twinkling at her, the way she could feel the rumbling in his chest as he spoke her name, or the fact that his question seemed patently absurd, but Brennan laughed. Not just laughed but broke into a fit of giggles, seeming to shake and quake beneath a startled Booth who instinctively began to ease away from the near frantic woman. Only when he felt Brennan's hands grasping him, her fingers digging into his muscle, pulling him back to her, only then did he relax and realize she wasn't panicked or distraught, only laughing at the absurdity of it all.

It was a chuckling Booth who leaned in to silence her with a kiss, and a contented Brennan that returned that kiss with fervor. A few tender, passionate minutes later and she finally pushed him away. Falling back with an exaggerated sigh, Booth rolled onto his side and threw one arm over her waist. With a tug Brennan let herself be pulled toward him where she saw the flushed and grinning face of her partner. He was so open and joyful, and the look he gave her so heartfelt and intimate, that when his grin turned into a great beaming smile it only served to make her blush furiously.

"Good morning Seeley" The fingers of her free hand brushed his cheek and Brennan kissed him once, lightly, on the edge of his jaw. "And to answer your question, yes, I slept exceedingly well."

"You did?"

"Mm-hmm. You make a very good pillow you know…and you're much…much warmer to sleep on than my bed." Reaching up she put a simple kiss along his jaw with each statement.

"Hmm, good thing I stayed then isn't it?" Booth kissed the end of her nose drawing another giggle from Brennan.

"Yes. In fact I'd say it was a very good thing." She kissed him again, sweetly, on the lips. Sighing happily she curled back into his side, closed her eyes and tucked her head under his chin, pressing an ear against his chest.

Booth's arm tightened about her waist pulling her closer to him, "You good there Bones?"

"Mm-hmm. Very." A moan slipped out as she spoke.

"Good, 'cause you're thinking awfully loud and I'd hate to think anything was wrong right now."

"You can't possibly hear me thinking Booth." Brennan stifled a groan and mentally rolled her eyes at her partner. "But I was thinking…"

"About?"

"The moths in the stomach."

"Butterflies Bones. What about them?"

"Did…did you feel them just now? I, I mean did you feel them when we were kissing?"

"I did. This time I felt them Temperance, and yes, it felt right. It feels right, don't you think?"

"It does." Brennan wanted to say more, wanted to tell him how much she felt for him, how she thought she was falling in love with him, but she couldn't force the words past her lips. "Seeley I, I…"

"Shhh Temperance, you don't have to say a word. Not now. Not until you're ready, okay?"

Brennan said nothing as she felt the hand on her back begin to trace a lazy figure eight, drawing the tension out of her system. She marveled at her partner, his ability to read people was a skill on par with her ability to read bones, but his ability to read her bordered on the preternatural. Even now, he knew exactly what was bothering her, as happy as she was he knew that something lurked at the edges, nibbled away at the border of her consciousness. Sometimes the fact that he knew her so well was annoying, other times it was a godsend, but now it was simply confusing. How could he know what was bothering her when even she wasn't sure?

Brennan's thoughts were chaos, a mish mash of incongruity. She was happy that he'd stayed, and words could not describe how it felt to have woken up in his arms, to have felt his lips against hers. Their morning kisses were so different from those they'd shared the night before. These promised so much more, more tenderness, more desire, more passion. Everything about being with him, his every movement, every touch, was exhilarating. Seeley Booth was everything she'd ever wished for and more than she'd dared dream possible, and yet part of her rebelled against the idea of having him in her bed. He was her partner, her friend, and she, she would ruin this, ruin them. Brennan was at a loss, because as much as she was afraid of where they were going, she wanted what was happening to go on and never stop. She wanted this, this being in bed with him, the closeness, the intimacy, the kissing, and more, so much more. She wanted them. More than anything Brennan wanted them. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to wake up every day to Booth in her bed, in her life, from now on.

Snuggling against Booth, she took comfort from his presence. Relaxed against his frame she reveled in the feel of his body, the way the heat of him pulsed through her. Just lying with him seemed to settle her thoughts, to give her the peace she needed to sort through her feelings. Brennan breathed deep; the scent of him was intoxicating and soothing. It was the scent of fresh linen and bath soap, his cologne and that special something that was uniquely Booth, it was her favorite scent. She'd never admit it to him, but she enjoyed walking behind him and not just because of his well formed gluteal muscles, but because she was bathed in his trailing scent. It was the sort of primal, sexual thing she tried to deny, the sort of thing that defied the carefully constructed façade that was Dr Temperance Brennan, but it was real. He was real. Inhaling deeply Brennan let out a small sigh, the thoughts that had tumbled about in her mind were quieted and even though she knew they needed to talk, about last night, this morning, everything that was growing between them, she found it hard to care. Instead she clutched at him, pressed her cheek against his chest, and feeling the warmth of his flesh, slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Booth looked at the woman in his arms, sleeping so peacefully curled up against him. An electric pulse seemed to course through him wherever they touched, his body hummed with anticipation of more and it took all of his strength to tamp down the desires that the feel of flesh on flesh brought. It would be so easy to give in, to yield to temptation, to take pleasure from her, knowing she would be all too willing to give it. But that would spoil everything. He knew what was troubling her, what she was struggling with just then, even in her sleep he could read her as clearly as one of her novels. The conflict between the person she'd spent her life being and what she was feeling now would definitely have her unsettled. Booth knew that Brennan would need time to figure things out on her own, and he planned on giving her all the time, and space, she needed to do just that. He wasn't about to push her, not now, and he wouldn't rush her, not ever. Not when he was so close to getting everything he'd ever wanted, ever dreamt of, everything he never thought he deserved.

Still Brennan seemed to think he merited a chance, and like Angela said, she was a genius. Genius hell, she was the smartest person he knew, so who was he to argue if she wanted him? After all, Booth trusted Brennan with his life, and after last night he was more than ready to trust her with his heart. Heart of his heart, that's what he'd said, and that's what she was to him. He wondered if she knew what he meant by that, if she had any idea how much he loved her, needed her, all of her. He wondered if she knew how much power she had over him, his happiness, his heart. Exhaling a ragged breath he cast a glance at the clock, it was just coming up on six. Carefully he moved to disengage himself, sliding out of bed without waking her. She wasn't the only one who needed time to figure things out, and he definitely needed some space right then, Lord knows he wasn't going to do a lot of thinking with her laying half on top of him. With a backward glance at his sleeping beauty Booth padded out of the bedroom, intent on a shower, breakfast, and some serious thinking. Shaking his head he knew he'd be lucky to manage the shower.

* * *

Brennan wrapped a robe about her body as she stepped out of the bathroom, the sounds of pots rattling in her kitchen bringing a smile to her lips. '_Booth's in the kitchen,' _she thought. Waking up alone after the way she'd drifted off was not what she'd expected, but knowing that he'd let her sleep so he could make her breakfast? That was quintessential Seeley Booth. Grabbing a towel she began drying her hair, her mind recalling the events of the evening before in vivid detail. She'd cried in front of him, not just cried, she'd come apart in his arms sobbing and wailing. Brennan couldn't help but think that the only things missing were ashes and sackcloth and her performance would have been complete. It should have been embarrassing to her, she should be standing here feeling humiliated, and angry. That's how it normally went, on those rare occasions when she couldn't compartmentalize anymore and someone was unfortunate enough to witness it. The last time Angela was the beneficiary of her madness. Brennan couldn't help the grimace as she recalled her best friend waking her from the nightmare, or the shock on Angela's face when she broke down and cried, sobbed on her shoulder. The morning after when Ange tried to engage her in conversation, the mortification and anger had set in. She'd dismissed Angela as if she was a servant, and spent the rest of the day in Limbo avoiding everyone, somehow knowing that they'd be talking about her.

But not this morning, not after last night. She'd had her nightmares, and Booth was there to wake her, to comfort her. She'd cried, she'd sobbed, then she'd gone one step further and broken down in his arms…then he broken down in hers. Him. Seeley Booth. He was the single strongest man she knew, and he'd cried in her arms like a child because his pain mirrored hers. He was her best friend and her partner; what was the next step? Would they become lovers? They hadn't made love yet, though the way he'd woken her up this morning she'd ached for. Damn that insufferably noble man and his chivalry, but she'd never wanted anyone like she wanted him. Was it just his noble heart that kept him from doing what they both wanted so badly? She hadn't misread the physiological signals. It would have been hard to misread his arousal as it pressed between them. No, his body's desires were clear to her, so it had to be his noble heart that kept them apart. Of course Booth would never make love to a woman who did not give him her full permission, and he probably thought her hesitance meant she wasn't interested…or maybe, maybe _he_ wasn't interested. His body might be, but what about the man? Were they nothing more than friends? Was last night a fluke? A one time event? Perhaps he was able to stop himself, not out of some misguided sense of honor, but because he genuinely wasn't interested in pursuing more with her? The words spoken last night, even this morning, were intimate and playful, but was she wrong? Could she have misread him that badly?

Brennan hated doubt, loathed uncertainty. Her job gave her satisfaction because it removed all doubts and uncertainty, it was in essence the purest form of discovery she knew. Bones never lied, but people did. People lied, all the time, to one another, to her. Was he lying to her? Would Booth lie to her? They'd shared so much with each other, opened themselves up in ways she'd never even considered with another man. Did it mean nothing to him? He hadn't run out on her like the other men in her life. No, if anything he was the single constant that gave her life real meaning. That thought alone scared her more than anything, more than the thought of falling in love with him. When had she allowed one man to take up residence in her life, to become so important that the mere thought of losing him hurt her more than the loss of her parents? If he didn't love her back, if he didn't want her as much as she wanted him, what then?

Brennan's head ached from her heart's fears and her brain's reasoning. She didn't know what to do, but something was pulling her toward the kitchen. She finished running a brush roughly through her still damp hair and cinched the robe tightly around her. She tugged the belt so roughly that it pinched her waist, but Brennan needed that feeling of being held together because just then everything about her was on the verge of coming apart. Padding quietly into the next room she listened for him. The sounds of cooking still coming from the kitchen were now accompanied by something else that almost made her laugh out loud – he was singing.

* * *

She rounded the corner to see him, Seeley Booth, standing there in her kitchen, wearing nothing more than a pair of sweatpants hung low on his hips, singing horribly off key. Brennan couldn't help the smile that slowly formed as she watched him standing by the stove, his bulk blocking her view, but she could hear the sound of a whisk beating against the ceramic sides of a mixing bowl and smell the familiar aroma of melted butter as it hung in the air. She knew he was preparing eggs of some sort and suddenly nothing else mattered. They'd held one another, cried over each other, kissed, and now he was here in her kitchen. An errant, but persistent, thought ran through her head. '_It's because he takes care of you and asks for nothing in return. He loves you, he dotes on you, and he wants to protect you. He's not like the others, not like any man you've ever known, and you know he'll never leave you because he's promised you and Booth always keeps his promises.'_

Brennan tried vainly to push that thought aside and hide the smile climbing her lips as she reached for the coffee. She swallowed a sigh, catching sight of her favorite mug already on the counter - a splash of soy milk and what looked like too much raw sugar already in the cup. It shouldn't have been a surprise, after all he'd been doing it for years, but somehow this gesture was pure Booth. Coffee in hand she felt strangely settled studying the scene in her kitchen, and reveled in the rich smells that filled the kitchen and among them she noted the ever familiar scent of Booth. Then, as quickly as the calm had come upon her she was suddenly undone.

Booth cast a glance over his shoulder, capturing her with his deep brown chocolate eyes, and Brennan didn't even try to hold back the sigh of contentment that escaped. She blushed, trying to hide her head, chagrined.

"You okay there Bones? Not still tired are you?"

Looking up over the rim of her cup Brennan managed a strangled response. "I'm fine Booth, and no, I'm not tired, um, not really."

'_Oh God_.' Brennan kicked herself mentally. '_You've got an IQ of 168, three doctoral degrees and you sound like a 6__th__ grader_.' "Really I'm more relaxed than I've been in a long time. I, I should thank you for, well, for everything I guess, but mostly for last night."

"Well you're welcome but I don't know that you need to thank me for anything, I mean, you're my partner right? And you'd do it for me wouldn't you?" Brennan couldn't help but think she would have, in fact; she'd do anything for him. "Hey, I'm just glad you got some sleep Bones? God knows you've earned a good night's rest."

Booth winked at her then, a genuine, flirtatious wink and just that small flutter was enough to send a wave of heat right through her. She could feel the flush climbing her neck, her cheeks getting darker, and she could tell he was enjoying this a little too much.

"You know we don't have to be in before nine this morning, so if you want you can get another couple hours of shut-eye. I mean breakfast will keep."

"No, that's okay!" As flustered as he had her, Brennan wasn't so far gone that she couldn't tell the quick, almost too sharp response, had hurt him. It dawned on her then, that for all his bravado the man standing before her was no more sure of where he stood now than she was, and just as he had the power to completely undo her, she could do the same to him.

"I…I'm sorry Booth. I meant to say thank you, for offering that is, but I'm feeling quite rested actually and, and I'm really quite hungry." She saw the tension lessen in his stance, his shoulders un-hunch, his brow smooth and she knew that had been the right thing to say. "So you told Cam I'd be in late today?"

"I may have suggested that it would be a good idea to clear your morning schedule given how exhausting the last few days have been for us."

"For me, you mean." Brennan chuffed. "You're always doing that, trying to make me feel better by disguising something you've done for me as something you'd do for yourself."

"Really? I'm always doing that?"

"Yes. You are. Actually it's one of your most endearing traits so I'm not sure why I'm needling you about it…"

Booth grinned at her, his eyes shining in amusement. "Because you wouldn't be my Bones if you didn't find some way to give me a hard time."

Brennan's head shot up as she heard the words _my Bones_ and her gaze took in a suddenly earnest Booth whose eyes had darkened considerably. She felt herself falling into the dark chocolate abyss they offered as his voice fell softly on her ears.

"I may have gotten a few more hours of sleep than you did babe, but I was running my ass off the entire time. Eight hours over forty-eight is about the same as four when you spend half the time chasing down suspects and getting into fights."

"I know. I'm sorry Booth, I…" Brennan noted the softening expression on his face, the way his brow furrowed, concerned that she understand his motivation The significance of the moment wasn't lost on her. If anything she felt the weight of it more keenly. Brennan cursed herself, she wanted only to tell him how much she appreciated everything and it was coming out all wrong again. "I know you're worried that you may have upset me or hurt my feelings, but you haven't. You wouldn't Booth, not intentionally, I know that. And besides, you're right. You may have managed a few more hours of sleep but your job is much more physically demanding than my own. In truth I don't know how you were able to function as well as you have for as long as you did. You not only finished the case, you took care of me when I was tired, you drove me home, you took me to bed…" She smiled as she saw him color at her choice of words. "…and you're still taking care of me. I don't know how you do it, let alone why."

"It's my military training Bones. In the Rangers we train to spend our time behind the lines, taking the fight to the enemy. To do that we have to be able to function at peak levels physically, regardless of lack of sleep or food, or charming companionship."

"Hmm"

Booth saw the indecipherable look on her face and finally broke into an uneasy smile.

"Temperance, I can hear you thinking all the way over here. What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

The snort that escaped her lips surprised them both, but it was Booth who spoke first again.

"Why so serious Bones?"

"I was just thinking…"

"Ah-ha! I knew it. Am I good or what?" Booth beamed triumphantly at her, but his triumph was short lived. The next words out of her mouth stunned him to the core.

"Yes, you are." Brennan smiled coyly at the surprised look on her partner's face.

"Huh? What was that Bones?" He stammered. "I don't think I follow…"

"You are good Seeley, very good indeed. And I don't know why, I mean, out of all the women you could have, you chose to spend time with me? Be with me? Care for me?"

Her coy smile had changed, it was shy now, and the vulnerable look in her eyes told him how hard it was for her to say these things. His every sense sharpened, ready to commit her words to memory, and he'd never forget what she said next.

"I never tell you how much you mean to me, and I should. I know that I…you're very important to me Seeley. You're the most important person in my life and it scares me." She held up a hand, stopping the question before he could ask. "You've given me so much, always without asking for anything in return. You gave me a new family to love, and then gave me back my old family. You've fixed things for me, taught me things about myself I'd never have known otherwise, taught me I had love to share, and you keep doing it. It's not fair really, you do all these things for me and I never do anything for you. Not really. And I can't help but wonder when you're going to get tired of it all. Get tired of me."

"Never. I'll never get tired of you Bones, or of doing things for you. I…" Booth swallowed hard, despite the lump in his throat. "I wanted to do those things for you okay? And I want to keep on doing things just like them for you as long as you'll let me."

"And how long would you really like that to be?"

"Forever."

The room seemed to still, the only thing left was the sounds of them breathing and the smell of coffee in the warmth of the kitchen. Booth felt the world falling away, but the ground came back firmly under foot with Brennan's next words.

"Okay."

"Listen Bones, I…wait a second. Okay?"

"Yes. Okay." Brennan quirked her eyes at him, the lightness of her tone belying the seriousness of the words she spoke next. "I'm amenable to your offer Booth. I don't understand why or what it is about me that you find worthy of interest. I mean I'm not ignorant of my physical attributes, or my social and financial status. But I'd be an idiot to turn down such an opportunity."

His grin returned full force, his Bones was back. "And what opportunity would that be Bones?"

"You, taking care of me, being there for me, and just being with me. Forever." Brennan's eyes shone, and she could see the tell tale trace of tears in his eyes as well. She knew the moment was perfect, if only she could have stopped her mouth right then. "I mean logically I know that forever is an impossible abstract, an unattainable goal set forth by potential romantic partners to indicate the depth of their desire of commitment, but at the same time I can appreciate the need for someone of your more romantic and emotive mindset to attempt to allay any fears or concerns in your partner's or mate's mind with such a declaration. Simply because I don't believe that forever is a realistically achievable goal doesn't mean that the abstract isn't appealing to me. In fact I've found that among the abstract concepts you've attempted to teach me, the idea of forever - the romantic construct it represents…"

Throughout her rambling monologue Brennan's eyes never left Booth's, and as she nervously chattered she watched them darken, sparkle, and then narrow as his gaze swept over her face and came to rest on her mouth. He moved so quickly that she hadn't any time to react, so surely that she wouldn't have known what to do if she had, and with such purpose that she wouldn't have tried to stop him anyway. Booth pinched her chin, tilting her face just enough so her lips could meet his more easily. The kiss started softly, with his lips ghosting over hers, drawing the breath from her and silencing her easily, and if that had been all it was she'd have recovered easily, but it was never that simple, not with Booth. The first touch demanded more and the soft, chaste kiss quickly became passionate and heated. When her lips parted he took the invitation to taste her thoroughly, his tongue slipping into her mouth, tangling with her own, and it wasn't until he swallowed her moan that the spell was broken. He pulled back, releasing her lips with a soft pop, and smiled as she finished what had to be the last thought in her mind.

"…is something I like."

"What was that again baby?"

"Forever. I like it. With you, I mean."

Pulling back he gave her a warm smile. "See, was that so hard? Honestly babe if kissing you is going to give me the Reader's Digest condensed version every time I just might have to start doing it more often."

"Again, I'm amenable to that as well." Brennan pecked him on the cheek. "You can kiss me whenever you like…as long as we're not at work. I think we need to remain professional at work."

"Okay."

"Oh, and don't think I missed you calling me babe and baby. I don't do pet names and I'm not some infant you need to dote on constantly."

"But you're calling me Seeley. Anyway, I thought you said you liked all the doting." He teased her in a singsong voice which caused Brennan to roll her eyes.

"Yes, well, I like calling you Seeley but I won't if you don't like it." The serious look on her face melted his heart all over again, "And I'm not fond of childish names, I'm Bones, that's…that's who I am, that's who I want to be."

"I know Bones. And for the record? I like it when you call me Seeley, so you feel free to do that as often as you want." He dropped a soft kiss on her lips before turning back to the stove. "Now scoot, I need to get back to this or we'll never get breakfast."

Brennan shuffled softly out of her kitchen, turning back to give the man at the stove a curious look. He was humming happily, cooking their breakfast and smiling the entire time. Everything she'd said, everything they'd said, she knew it was out of character for her, for them, but she didn't care anymore. Goodman had once said that she had a disturbingly steep learning curve, and for once Brennan decided to let that work in her favor. Booth made her happy, happier than she'd ever felt before and she wanted to keep that feeling, to keep him in her life. So if he wanted forever, with her, then she wasn't afraid to give that to him anymore. Emotions may be ephemeral, but he had proven her wrong so many times in the past that she was counting on him proving her wrong now. Brennan was counting on Booth proving to her that forever _was_ real, because as irrational as it sounded even in her head she knew she'd never be able to stop loving him. She needed his friendship, his companionship, his love. She needed him, forever.

A sudden sound caused her to look up and smile. There he was, plates balanced precariously in his arms, the cutlery in one hand and a bowl with half a grapefruit in the other, trying gingerly to set it all down on the table. Brennan reached up to help and grabbed the over loaded plates before they could fall.

"Egg's Florentine Booth? Honestly you shouldn't have gone to all that trouble." The two plates held heaping servings of Eggs Florentine garnished with chopped chives and accompanied by several slices of tomato.

"Actually I call them Egg's Florentine à la Booth. I used mostly egg whites instead of whole eggs, Mornay sauce instead of Hollandaise and I added Asiago to the sauce since you didn't have any Gruyère. I hope it's okay."

Gingerly taking fork in hand Brennan cut into the eggs and lifted a laden forkful to her mouth, hesitating only long enough to assure that he was watching. The look of anticipation on Booth's face made her lips quirk in an odd, open mouthed smile before the fork disappeared past them. Booth's face was a rictus of worry that only softened when it heard the low, almost guttural sounds of satisfaction that rose from her throat.

"So are they any good?"

She couldn't help but smile at the child-like look on his face and Brennan gushed, "They're wonderful. The sauce is excellent and the eggs are so fluffy." Noting the look of disbelief Brennan redoubled her efforts to convince him. "I'm though it's not a traditional presentation these are quite possibly the best tasting Eggs Florentine I'd ever had. The sauce is creamy and tangy, the eggs aren't just light, they're both airy and fluffy, and the sweetness of them serves as the perfect counterpoint to the sauce…oh, and the spinach! The spinach isn't soggy or overcooked, that's something that always ruined eggs Florentine for me before."

"So they're good?"

"The eggs, the spinach, the sauce, it's all just…perfect." Brennan leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you Seeley, they're wonderful."

He grinned like a schoolboy getting his first A, and Brennan couldn't help but smile as she watched him plow through his own triple helping. She bit into a slice of tomato and marveled at him all over again.

"Oh! You dressed the tomatoes with Balsamic vinegar and white pepper didn't you?"

"Yeah, I know that's how you liked them and I have to admit they _are_ pretty tasty that way."

She couldn't help the color rising in her cheeks at his off hand comment, '…_I know that's how you like them_…'. She'd mentioned it once, nearly four months ago over lunch at the diner. He had pestered her relentlessly about her choice of lunch - the vegetarian sub. She'd always ordered a garden salad but that day she felt the need for something more substantial and she'd commented on how the Balsamic vinegar dressing used on the subs brought out the sweetness of the tomatoes. She'd mentioned it once and he remembered. Suddenly forever didn't seem like enough time to truly appreciate a man like Booth.

"Is everything okay there Bones? You were looking a little…I don't know. Thoughtful?"

"Well imagine that, me thinking." Her self deprecating chuckle elicited a genuine laugh from him in return, and Brennan warmed to the sight of his face alight in laughter, knowing she was the cause for his joy. "Everything is fine. I was just thinking how wonderful this all is. Thank you."

"Wow. First you can't stop kissing me and now you can't stop complimenting me? I'm writing this recipe down."

He grinned as he lifted a forkful of tomato and eggs to his mouth, and the pair finished breakfast in companionable silence. Booth noted with some satisfaction that Brennan had managed to eat everything but a few slices of tomato, two bites of egg, and the last of her toast. Without saying anything she simply passed her plate over to him and he grinned foolishly as he swept the contents onto his own to polish them off. He crunched the last of the toast, washing it down with his final swallow of coffee, his eyes never leaving the woman across from him. She sipped from her own cup lazily, finally looking at the clock on the wall as it slipped to half past seven.

"It looks like we won't be in late for work after all." He could almost hear the disappointment in her voice and he smiled.

"Yeah, that's a shame too. We don't get a lot of opportunities to sleep in these days."

Brennan's eyes quirked at the way he said _'we'_, and she set down her cup, carefully reaching across for his hands. Booth felt her fingers wrapping around his wrist and set down his own mug, a little harder than he'd intended. He gave a bemused smile to the woman across from him and wondered if this new found feeling of domesticity would last past the confines of her apartment and this morning. It was too much to hope for he knew, too much to ask of her. It was all well and good now, but sometime soon it would catch up to her and she'd realize the mistake she'd made letting him in to her heart. A mistake he knew too well and yet he couldn't stop. When she rejected him it would hurt, hell, it would destroy him, so he was willing to take what he could get now, knowing there may never be another day like this, or another breakfast quite so sweet.

Brennan shook her head gently and pushed back her chair, fingers never once letting go of Booth's wrist. She stood suddenly, pulling him up with her. Booth rose off kilter, and took a stumbling step toward her, having to grab the table for balance. It wasn't enough and the two collided, body against body, but the soft gasp that escaped her lips was lost on him for the sound of blood rushing in his veins. They stood, off balance, holding one another up, and wasn't lost on either of them how that was the perfect metaphor for the moment. Then Brennan stepped back, tugging on Booth's wrist, forcing him to follow. Shocked and confused, he cringed at the sound of his voice cracking like an adolescent's.

"Bones, what are you doing?"

Brennan turned to look at him, but never stopped moving, simply walking backwards and continuing to tug on his wrist, forcing him to follow along.

"You know, given your size one would think pulling along a fully grown Booth would be more difficult than this. I can only surmise you know exactly what I am doing…that, or you trust me implicitly."

"Let's go with the trust thing, 'cause I've got no clue what's going on."

Brennan said nothing but continued to pull her charge along, her fingers having shifted to intertwine with his. She could barely hear him padding quietly behind her, and she turned her head more than once to make sure he was still there. He was, of course, and Brennan smiled at the thought that Booth was always there for her. It took just seconds more to reach the door to her bedroom, and when they did she turned one last time to take him by both hands. Looking up into his eyes Brennan grinned as his bemused look finally gave way and a tentative smile replaced it.

"We _do _have the time Seeley, and I _am_ a little tired." Another tug and they were through the doorway, into her bedroom. "I'm sure you could use a little more sleep too."

"You're sure?" His voice, so soft and hopeful, set a nervous flutter through her and just then she'd never been more sure of anything in her life, except possibly that she wanted desperately to kiss him again. So she did.

The kiss was short, sweet, and completely unexpected and despite all the other kisses they'd shared that morning it left Booth stammering, "I really should clean up the mess I made in the kitchen…"

Brennan silenced him with another kiss. "Leave it. We'll both pitch in when we get up. It won't take long."

"If you're sure…" Another kiss, but some lingering doubts still haunted his eyes.

"Seeley, I'm sure." She tugged again and they were standing by her bed. "I'm not really that tired, but I know that there's no place I'd rather be right now than here with you. You belong here Booth, after all you're my pillow and you don't want me to sleep without my pillow now, do you?"

It was a stunned, almost statuesque Booth whose eyes followed his coquettish partner's form as she walked around the bedroom, shedding the robe and everything beneath it until only her flawless naked form was left to disappear under the covers. He could feel the tingle of her lips spreading to other points of his body. He wasn't confused or uncertain, he wasn't even playing the gentleman, he was just rooted in place, convinced that this was all a dream. It took the voice of his dream woman to bring him back to reality.

"Come on Seeley, you know I can't sleep without my favorite pillow and I'm getting cold. I think I need you to warm me up."

Booth turned and looked at her then, her head bobbing just above the covers, the teasing smile and cobalt blue eyes that burned for him. He smiled back, a smile she'd never seen before, like his charm smile but so much more, and it fit perfectly with the graceful way he stalked toward her.

"So I'm you're favorite pillow, huh? And just how will you sleep when I'm not here?"

"I probably won't, at least not well, so I guess you're going to have to stay here from now on aren't you?"

Brennan settled back, watching as the few clothes he wore were shed in an instant. The bed shifted under his weight as he climbed under the covers, and she curled possessively around him, pressing against his hard body, rubbing her legs over his, mapping every muscle group with educated fingers. The feel of him against her, the heat he radiated, threatened to set her alight, and Brennan knew she could never sleep without him again.

Booth pushed Brennan back into the mattress, flipping her on her back as he rose above her, reveling in the gasps and shudders his rough, calloused fingers elicited as they traced the contours of her breasts, and his mouth lay hot sucking kisses along the column of her throat. His touch was smoldering, his lips were burning, but it was his voice that finally set her on fire.

"I'll stay, Temperance, as long as you'll let me, I'll stay."

* * *

_A/N: Brennan's stated IQ of 168 is not canon, but it would put her on par with Einstein, Hawking, and Gates. It would also place her in the 99.99__th__ percentile, meaning that the odds of finding someone as smart as her are 1 in 100,000. Also I selected her IQ because she reminds me of someone I went to school with, who, like Brennan, was brilliant and yet clueless at the same time. This guy graduated school with three undergrad degrees in four years, and was half way through his masters before I even had my first real job. Smart ass._

_A/N Addendum: As always, feedback is welcome_


	4. Chapter 4 A King of Infinite Space

**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately I don't own nor am I involved with the production of _Bones_. On the plus side, I work cheap so if Hart Hanson and Company are reading this - call me.

**Synopsis**: The morning's come and gone, and it's time for work. How will the partners deal with the issues that arise as their newfound relationship sets foot in the world of the Jeffersonian?

_A/N: Yep, we're a four shot now, going for five - but I swear we stop at five! And a special shout out to my beta, DBCrazy for her excellent work, and to celtic33 from whom I stole the nickname "Rooster" for Booth - sorry, it was too good to pass up. As always, adult situations and language apply._

**Chapter Four – A King of Infinite Space**

* * *

Brennan awoke to the feel of his warm, solid chest under her cheek. The reassuring beat of his heart was the most welcoming sound she had ever heard. The room was filled with rose hued light and the exotic scent of their lovemaking, and she knew at some point following their morning tryst Booth had woken to draw the curtains. She felt oddly at ease with that realization, not in the least surprised that he was able to slip from their bed and then return without waking her. Nothing about him really surprised her anymore, or rather, she'd given up being surprised by the boundless skill he possessed. It was far easier, and less time consuming, to assume he was perfectly capable of doing the near impossible, such as proving that making love really was about breaking the laws of physics. She was fairly sure if not for his arm about her waist she'd be floating right now. Brennan had dallied with many men, but none like him, and she purred at the thought of him. She'd never felt so light, so warm, or so sated, and definitely not all at once.

Stretching catlike, she arched her back, enjoying the way muscle and sinew felt as she reached full extension. Only when her head lolled and she caught sight of the clock on her nightstand did the smile fade from her lips. Falling back lightly beside a still sleeping Booth she let her blunt nails glide over his chest, lazily tracing the outline of several chest muscles and drawing increasingly louder moans from him. The pitch and volume of those moans rose dramatically when her nails ghosted over one of his nipples, but what should have been immensely pleasurable became incredibly painful a scant second later.

"Ow! Ow! OW! Jeez Bones!" Booth rose like a shot from the bed, grabbing his right breast protectively. "What the hell was that for?"

"What time is it Seeley?" Brennan pointed accusingly at the alarm clock that read 11:12 AM

"Um, listen baby I can explain."

"I seriously doubt that, and don't call me baby!" Booth dodged the first pillow easily, but was unable to avoid the second as it struck him squarely in the head. Sensing it was his best shot at self-preservation he pulled her from the edge of the bed and roughly into his arms.

"Bones! Okay, okay, Bones, seriously, I get it. I, I just wanted some 'us' time before we had to go back to work. Is that so bad?" Booth groaned. "I mean, we got some good sleep last night but this morning we, well, we were sort of active…"

"And you were worried that you might have tired me out?" Pushing back, Brennan gave him a stern look and scoffed.

"If I recall correctly there was someone curled up and snoring on top of me…"

"You're warm and very comfortable to sleep on." Brennan protested, slapping his chest only somewhat playfully. "And maybe I didn't get as much sleep as I thought last night."

"Right. Well all I was hoping was to get a chance to hold you a little while longer and when…" Shoulders slumping, Booth finally gave up. "And when you didn't wake up right away I turned off the alarm and decided to take advantage of it in case…"

"In case what Booth?" The words left Brennan's mouth sounding harsher than she'd intended and seeing the way he flinched when she said his name, her heart clenched. Her anger was quickly fading in the face of his uncertainty.

"In case you decided this was all a mistake," came his whispered response.

"Because I would do that, wouldn't I? I'd wake up feeling well rested, deliciously sated, and with a beautiful, loving man in my bed who not only makes me feel safe and happy for the first time in fifteen years, but for some reason puts up with my family, my neuroses, and all my baggage, and I would think '_Temperance, you've just got to run away because it's all a mistake_!'" Booth cocked his head, not quite believing this was coming from the woman now pressed up against him. "Is that it Booth? Is that what you expected me to do?"

The entire time Brennan was speaking her voice never rose, never wavered, and never sounded anything other than warm and reassuring. Booth couldn't help the shy smile teasing his lips, nor the flush creeping into his cheeks.

"Stupid, huh?"

"Not at all."

Cupping his face with her hands, Brennan gently kissed him. Her lips lingered on his, tasting him, drinking him in and at the same time showing him how wrong he was.

"I know Seeley, I know I've run in the past, run when things got to be too much, run when you needed me most…Guatemala." Booth's hands found her hips, pulling her flush against him. "I'm so sorry about Guatemala Booth…"

"Bones, it's okay. We're past that baby, we're so much more than that now."

"I know, but I need you to believe me. Please? I said it last night. I said it this morning. And I'll say it every day, ten times a day, until you believe me. I need you here, with me and I want you to stay here Seeley, with me. Okay?" She kissed him again, gasping when they broke apart minutes later. Smiling glassy eyed at the man in front of her she brushed her thumbs over his cheeks. "I want forever, Seeley Joseph Booth, and I can only ever see that with you. Do you believe me?"

"Of course I do baby, of course I do."

"Good." Brennan rested her cheek against his chest, wrapping herself in the feel of Booth even as he wrapped his arms around her. "And Booth?"

"Yeah Bones?"

"Don't think for a second that my letting you slide on the whole 'baby' thing is ever going to extend past this room, or this moment."

"Oh I don't know Bones, I got this far on dogged persistence and charm," Booth whispered against her hair. "I'm willing to bet I can get you to love hearing me call you Baby."

If he could have seen the look on her face he would have known better than to have pressed his luck.

"OW! Jeez Bones!"

The only sound other than his not-so-silent suffering was the melodic sound of Temperance Brennan giggling, and as Booth looked at the brilliant, beautiful, naked woman before him he wondered, and not for the first time, if he was in over his head.

* * *

The ride to the Jeffersonian was made in companionable silence, and despite the horrendous lunch hour traffic the SUV's occupants were quietly happy. Booth had seized her hand almost immediately after they got belted in and they sat hands together, fingers interlaced, with Booth humming softly to himself while Brennan stared aimlessly out the window. Nursing the travel cup in her other hand she contemplated the last twenty-four hours. This time yesterday she'd been struggling to stay awake, suffering from the week's trials; her family, the case, the book, and Angela. The one bright spot in her week had been Booth. In fact he'd been the one bright spot in her life so many times in the past five years it's a wonder that it took until now for them to take that last step. Of course, now that they had, the next thing they'd have to deal with would be everyone else's expectations. Brennan shook her head absently anticipating Angela's over-the-top reaction to the news.

"Hey Bones?"

"Hmm, what Booth?"

"What's going on over there babe?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking," Brennan cast a sidelong glance at him and smiled, "and before you ask, I'm thinking about Angela and what she's going to say when she finds out. What about you?"

"Me too. Well not so much Angela, as what everyone in general is gonna think."

"Everyone? Do you think they'll make a big deal out of it? I think Angela will, I think she'll be over the moon about us being together."

"Over the moon?"

"Hodgins said that once, when he confessed how much he was in love with Angela I, I thought it was an appropriate descriptor for Angela. Was I wrong?"

"Nah, not wrong babe." Booth gave her hand a squeeze and winked as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Seriously? I don't know how she'll react. I mean Ange is a lot more in tune with things than your average squint, and on the one hand I think she'll be cool with us because she's been rooting for us to get together for years now. On the other hand this is, well, it's sort of huge." Booth disentangled his hand from hers and reached over to take the travel mug from Brennan, pointedly ignoring her silent protest and accompanying eye roll.

"It is, isn't it?"

"Yep. Still I'd bet the most we get is an 'about time' or a 'way to go studly' out of her before she drops the hysterics and pulls you aside for a serious girl to girl debriefing." Booth smirked at the look of discomfort on Brennan's face as he took a sip of her coffee.

"I hardly think she'll let it go so easily. Anyway I'm not sure what exactly a girl _on_ girl debriefing is supposed to entail, but it sounds like something I'd like you to be there for."

Booth choked on the mouthful of coffee he'd swallowed, and barely managed to set the mug down on the console before shooting her a disbelieving look. Brennan's stone-faced expression was broken only by the crinkling at the corner of her eyes as she carefully retrieved the travel mug and took a tentative sip. Booth continued to stare until he heard car horns blaring and realized they were holding up traffic. Only once the SUV started moving again did he hear her soft giggle.

"You knew what you were saying that time, didn't you Temperance?" The twinkling eyes and barely concealed smile told him she did. "I swear woman, you'll be the death of me yet."

"What's wrong Seeley? Most men would want a woman who's open to adding another partner to the mix, especially one as attractive as Angela," she teased.

"Baby, you're more than enough for me, surely you know that?"

"What I know, _baby_, is that you're pushing your luck if you keep calling me that." Brennan tried to sound serious but she still couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips. Booth just shook his head and responded ruefully.

"Fine Bones, we'll play it your way. But when we get home tonight?"

Brennan felt her breath catch in her throat when Booth said _home_. "What happens when we get home tonight Seeley?"

"I'm gonna drive you so crazy you'll be begging for me to call you baby, _baby_."

* * *

As they pulled into the Jeffersonian's parking structure Booth noticed Brennan had become more withdrawn and fidgety. When he pulled into a space near her car Booth swore he could almost hear the wheels turning inside her head. Brennan, for her part, was preoccupied with thoughts of how she'd gotten home the day before. She knew Booth had to carry her out of her office, and getting down here, and into the SUV would mean he'd had to have help - not even Booth could do it all by himself. Then there were the people in the lab and the hallway, depending on when he did it she must have been quite the spectacle for their amusement. She could only imagine what they'd be saying to her now, her entire professional career at the Jeffersonian would become a footnote, the punch line to a bad joke all because he couldn't control his alpha-male need to protect her when she didn't really need protecting.

He'd put the truck in park and asked her three times if she was ready to go before he finally reached out to touch her arm.

"Bones?" Brennan flinched away from his touch instinctively, barely registering the hurt on his face as she did so.

"Not now Booth." The short clipped words hit him hard, but he knew what was happening and he was resolved to ride it out.

"Bones, we have to go inside now."

"Why did you do it Booth? Why?"

"Why what Bones?"

"Why did you take me home yesterday, why not just let me stay at the lab. I had a couch there, I could have slept at the lab and been perfectly fine." Booth could hear the barely suppressed emotion choking her voice.

"Baby, I couldn't do that. The squints wouldn't leave you alone, they wouldn't let you rest. Cam was going to go in and put more crap on your plate, Wendell was going to pester you with questions and Angela, well you know she's still working through how things ended between her and Roxie, and her and Hodgins. She was going to go in there and talk your ear off. I just couldn't trust them to leave you alone, and you needed to sleep baby."

"How many times do I have to tell you? _**Don't call me baby!**" _Brennan jerked away from him and practically jumped out of the SUV. "I can take care of myself Booth, I've done it since I was fifteen and I'd have been just fine."

Booth chased after her, catching up just as they approached the parking garage guard shack. He grabbed her arm, fully prepared for her to wheel on him, but not expecting to see the tear-stained face of his love.

"Bones?"

Brennan allowed herself to be pulled into a fierce hug and Booth held her close, offering what comfort he could, drying her tears with his shirt and whispering soft assurances into her hair.

"It'll be okay baby, just trust me on this okay?"

"You don't know that Booth." Brennan sniffed. "All those people will see now is a helpless woman who had to be carried out of here by her overbearing, overprotective alpha-male boyfriend."

Booth's heart jumped into his throat as he processed the word 'boyfriend' and struggled not to smile too much given his _girlfriend's_ current state.

"To quote the smartest woman I know, 'You don't know that' Bones."

Chuckling softly, he let Brennan push away from him, beaming an understanding smile at the bemused look on her face. She was flushed, mussed, and more than a little vulnerable looking, and the cloudy blue of her eyes was devastating. He knew how hard this was for her, the Jeffersonian was her true home and their being here now, after last night, after this morning, was a testament to how real this all was. There'd be no going back for either of them once they walked into the building. He gave her his best reassuring smile before leaning down to kiss her once, sweetly, on the lips.

"Everything okay here Agent Booth? Doctor Brennan?"

Brennan sniffled once, stiffening in Booth's arms and pushing herself free of him. She turned to see the young security guard and there was some slight recognition, something telling her she should know him. The man was young, mid-twenties at most, well structured and in very good physical shape. His bearing and manner reminded her of Booth and for once her partner seemed oddly at ease with an attractive younger man talking to her. She cast a sidelong glance at her partner and thought she saw him wink at the guard, but before she could be sure the guard called her name again.

"Dr Brennan?"

"We're fine…Paul." Brennan read the name from his name tag. They younger man stood expectantly and Booth nudged Brennan. "What Booth?"

"Ask him," Booth whispered louder than intended.

Sighing, Brennan relented. "Excuse me Paul, were you working yesterday?"

"Yes ma'am I was."

"Did you see me yesterday?"

"Yes ma'am I did. I greeted you when you came in Doctor Brennan."

"Oh…I'm sorry I thought you looked familiar. I just…I'm sorry Paul, I, I don't…"

"It's okay ma'am, you were talking to Ms Montenegro and she was doing a pretty good job of monopolizing your attention. In fact I don't think she even noticed me and, um, that kind of took the wind out of my sails if you know what I mean ma'am."

"I'm not sure I do."

"What Winters means Bones, is that he has the hots for Angela and he was sort of counting on her flirting with him."

"Really?"

"Um, yes ma'am. Say, you wouldn't be in a position to put in a good word for me, would you Doctor Brennan?"

Brennan smiled softly and touched his arm in a comforting gesture. "I'm sorry Paul, I don't think that's a good idea. Angela has enough on her plate right now, but if she's interested, well, she'll seek you out."

"Well thanks any way ma'am." Booth cleared his throat and nudged Brennan again.

"Paul, one question. You saw me come in, did you see me leave?"

"No ma'am, I didn't. I hadn't really thought about it but I would have guessed you would have left late in the evening, same as usual." Brennan didn't catch the small nod Booth gave the younger man. "If you're sure you don't need my help ma'am?"

Brennan shook her head. "No Paul, I'm fine. If I need any assistance I have Booth."

Booth's smile broadened at Brennan's off-hand comment and Paul nodded once, winking at the agent as he did so.

"Very well ma'am, Agent Booth. If there's nothing else it's time for me to get back on rounds. All y'all have a nice day now."

Brennan watched him walk away, then fell in beside Booth as he steered her toward the elevator. Her mind raced over the brief encounter. He'd seen her come in but not leave. She wasn't sure but that seemed to give her some peace of mind.

"You feeling a little better Bones?"

"A little, yes but…he's only one man Booth."

"He's a security guard Bones, a good one. He's paid to notice those kinds of things."

"He's paid to help find lost tourists and keep kids from trashing exhibits Booth, though I will admit he does appear more…robust than the average security guard we employ." Brennan watched Booth's response with interest and wasn't disappointed when she saw the flicker of jealousy cross his face. Pulling her into his arms he dropped his head low to her ear, speaking in a husky whisper that made her shiver in anticipation.

"Robust Bones? He's a kid, a good looking kid but still a kid. Besides, you're all mine baby, and don't you forget it." Booth pulled her earlobe into his mouth, sucking hard on it and raking his teeth across it roughly before letting it loose with an audible pop. The mewling moan he pulled from Brennan was nearly his undoing but he steeled himself. "Got that?"

Brennan shrugged out of his arms and tried to act less affected than she was, shooting him a warning look that was ruined by the breathy sound of her voice that made her sound more like a love struck woman than a forensic anthropologist. "Seriously Booth, calling me baby has to stop. It's not…it's not professional."

"That's it? It's not professional?"

"Yes, it's not professional."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, you're right. It's not professional and I don't want to do anything that'll detract from our work so I won't call you baby _at work_."

"Here or at the Hoover?"

"Well yeah, that goes without saying."

"It does?"

"Sure, if I can't call you baby here I sure as hell can't call you baby there. Not that I don't want to, but seriously, most of those guys are pigs to begin with, and I'm not gonna give them any additional jerk material about you."

"Jerk material? Ah, you mean masturbatory assistance. Given the allusion to the actual physical act that's really rather clever, if a bit crude." Brennan gave him a questioning look. "Why would calling me baby provide them with any jerk material Booth?"

"It wouldn't per se Bones, it's just, well, you're enough material all on your own. Me calling you baby? That would just fuel their fires, ya' know?"

"No, but you can explain it to me tonight."

"Sure thing Bones."

Brennan stood silently alongside Booth, waiting patiently as the elevator stopped twice on the way to their floor. She said nothing but Booth could feel her stiffening as each crowd entered, greeted her, and then left. When they got out on the fourth floor she felt somewhat relaxed, nearly a dozen people had seen her, and none so far had made any comment on her disposition the day before. Perhaps Booth was right, perhaps there was nothing to worry about. Suddenly something struck her as odd, something she hadn't thought of until just then.

"Booth? How did you know Paul's last name was Winters?"

* * *

Their voices preceded the partners' entry to the lab, and while this was not unusual in and of itself, their volume was much, much higher than normal. Brennan stormed through the doors, making a bee-line for the first security guard she saw only to grab his shirt sleeve and yank him around to face Booth. The guard was surprisingly docile, and it was Booth who charged to his rescue from an irate Brennan.

"What about him?" Brennan stared at the name tag that said 'Luke' for a second before turning back to glare at Booth. "Is Luke here one of your special friends too Booth?"

"Look, Bones, if you'd just let me explain…"

"Explain what? Your need to control every aspect of my life? What's his name Booth? Hmm? Tell me you don't know his last name and I'll let it all go."

Booth groaned. He couldn't lie to her. She'd know if he did, and what little trust he had with her on the topic of her safety would be gone completely. "Peterson."

"Peterson? Right." Brennan wheeled on the guard, her eyes fixing him in place. "Luke, is Peterson your last name?"

"Yes ma'am it shore is. Can I hep you Doctor Brennan?" She quirked her head upon hearing his accent, her stare becoming increasingly uncomfortable for the guard.

"Kentucky?"

"West Virginia ma'am, but right on the border." Luke's drawl only served to underscore her point and Brennan nodded as he spoke.

"Military?"

"Yes ma'am. US Army, fifth corps, 95th Military Police o'er there in Mannheim. That's in Germany ma'am."

Brennan tugged on his arm as she spun around to see a cautious and defensive Booth waiting for her diatribe. She did not disappoint.

"Another one! Another rural southern military man. What a coincidence that you happen to know his last name too! Oh, and look!" Brennan yanked his arm around so Booth could see what she was pointing at. "The skull patch, what are the odds Booth – every one of them has that skull patch."

"Bones…"

"Sarge, did I do somethin' wrong?" Luke's worried look pulled a groan from Booth who genuinely liked the kid.

"No Petey, go on, get out of here while you can."

"Sarge?" Brennan snorted. "Since when do the guards of the Jeffersonian ask your permission to leave, _Sarge_?"

"Bones, please!" Booth tried to shoo her towards her office, not wanting to continue the conversation but aware of the audience they were attracting now as a small crowd of squints gathered. Unfortunately for him she'd have none of it.

"No Booth, no more of your manipulation or lies. You're going to tell me now, right now, just how big your group of _friends_ here really is."

Booth gave her a long, hard look and let out the breath he'd been holding. His eyes ran over her, taking inventory of her fine features, her flushed cheeks, the way her hair had come free and made her look slightly mussed. He was screwed and he knew it. He was in love with a brilliant, beautiful, passionate and incredibly obstinate woman who would never let this go. '_Damn!_' he thought, '_She just looks so…kissable._' Booth knew he was signing his own death warrant, he knew Brennan was incensed at discovering the guards called _Brennan's Own_, but what was worse was he knew of her need to keep things professional at work and what he was about to do was going to be an issue. Still he thought, '_In for a penny…_'

Brennan felt his eyes rake over her, and despite the heat pooling at her core she was still livid with the man in front of her. So when he stepped toward her she disregarded her first impulse to step toward him, and when his arm looped around her waist she stopped herself from falling forward, but when he pulled her roughly to him, and when she saw his eyes go black with desire, his charm smile twisting into that feral grin that made her insides flutter, she lost all reserve and met him as his head dipped low to capture her in a heated kiss. Their mouths crushed together, opening to one another, and she felt his tongue dancing with a fiery passion against her own. It was several flotillas of steamboats later and their argument was but a buzz in the background of her mind when she finally had to let him go, air having long since become an issue for both of them. Panting softly, her head resting against his chest, she barely registered the sound of her friend's voice.

"Well it's about time you two!" Angela crowed, "And way to go studly! That was H-O-T, _**hot**_!"

Booth smirked at the stunned Brennan and gave her another peck on the lips before stepping away. "See, told ya' babe."

"Don't call me babe…" Brennan whispered, barely able to get the words out, what with her heart thundering so in her chest.

"Whatever Bones. Call me later? I'll be back to pick you up around six." Booth turned on his heel and waved to Angela, ignoring the now slightly larger crowd that had formed. "Take care of her Ange, she's gonna have questions and I've got to get to the Hoover while I still have a job to get back to."

Angela watched the door swing shut on Booth's retreating form and she nudged her dazed friend's shoulder.

"So Bren, I think we need to have a talk. You owe me details sweetie, lots of juicy, juicy details."

Brennan finally seemed to come to life as she felt Angela's hands on her shoulders, guiding her to the artist's office.

"Sure Ange, I just have one question first…what do you know about _Brennan's Own_?"

* * *

Angela wasn't a hundred percent sure what was going inside her best friend's head, but she was pretty sure the lip lock she'd witnessed outside figured prominently in whatever had the overly-rational woman pacing back and forth non-stop. Angela was burning with questions she was sure she'd get answers to if only she could get the woman to stop freaking out and talk to her. She just hoped whatever it was that had Brennan so rattled wouldn't ruin this thing between her and Booth. After all she'd pushed to get the two of them together forever, dreamt of seeing them kiss, but in her mind's eye it had always ended up with a smiling, happy Brennan talking about marriage and babies, not pacing back and forth like someone expecting the worst from some test results. Of course she'd also never imagined that any kiss could possibly be that passionate or that…hot. Seeing Booth plant one on her in the middle of their fight, in the middle of the lab, was something she wasn't going to forget anytime soon and from the way her overly rational friend was acting, neither would she.

Finally Angela had had enough, and stood up in Brennan's path, forcing the distracted woman to stop short. When Angela saw the confused look in her friend's eyes she could only smile, Booth positively nailed it – Brennan's brain was working overtime and she knew there were questions galore waiting for her. There was only one thing for it, if Brennan wasn't going to start, she would.

"So Brennan, you and Booth? Just tell me one thing, how good was it last night?"

"Angela! Please don't start with me on that, I'm trying to think about something important." Brennan shot her a questioning look. "Angela, have you heard about something called _Brennan's Own_?"

"Sure honey, but I guarantee that it is in _no way_ more important than you and Booth having lip sex in the middle of the lab. Now spill, and don't leave out any of the gory details, that's the best part." Angela sat back on the arm of the couch, arms crossed waiting for Brennan to talk. When it became evident that she'd drifted into thought again the artist prodded her physically. "Now Brennan, talk to me."

"Ow Angela, don't poke. You have very sharp fingernails." Brennan grabbed at Angela's retreating hand and studied her fingers intently. "You just got them done, French tips, they look quite nice too, but I thought you said French tips were déclassé?"

"When done improperly, yes, and they're gel overlays sweetie. I got them done at Charisma's down on Du Pont Circle. I was having such problems with splitting, I think it's the acetone I borrowed from Hodgins' station. I was using it as nail polish remover but it might be too strong." Angela didn't pull her hand free from Brennan's as the woman expected, but clamped down hard. "Now sweetie, that was a very, very good attempt at diverting my attention but you're going to sit down now and talk to me, okay? C'mon Brennan, you're scaring me here."

Brennan let herself be led over to the couch, taking a seat not far from Angela, her hands folding themselves in her lap as she studied them carefully. The pair sat in silence for several more minutes until Angela thought she'd have to prod Brennan again, then her friend turned to her. Ange could see the confusion clouding her eyes, but with it was something else, and she could tell it was something wonderful.

"Sweetie?"

"Booth and I we…he took me home last night, but I'm guessing you knew that already?"

Angela nodded, she could tell how hard this was for Brennan but she couldn't fight the feelings building inside her.

"We slept together. Not…not in a Booth and I having sex kind of way, but in a sleeping to get rest kind of way."

"So your big news is that you slept, as in 'pleasant dreams' slept, with Booth?" Disappointment was evident in her voice. "So, if that's all that happened what was that kiss about?"

"Well if you'll let me tell you my way, you'll know. Can you do that for me Ange? Can you just let me tell you in my own way?"

"I don't know sweetie, your way generally consists of running from strong emotions or closing them off until you either go nuts or drive everyone else nuts and Booth or I drag them out of you." The artist's hand squeezed Brennan's forearm affectionately. "Do you think we've got that kind of time?"

Soft laugher filled the room, like the tinkling of bells, and Angela marveled at the woman seated next to her. Brennan was not always the most demonstrative of people, but she'd come to know how passionate the woman was, and how rare it was for her to show this softer side to people, even her friends.

"It won't take that long Ange, I'm sure." Patting the hand that rested on her forearm, Brennan began again. "Booth and I shared a bed, but it wasn't just that, it was … everything. You know this last week hasn't been the best for me, the case, my family, so many distractions, so many demands on my time…"

"And me, sweetie, don't forget me."

"Angela, you're not a distraction…"

"No, but I can be. Like when I come over unannounced, invade your bedroom and keep you up until 3 AM when you really need your sleep. I'm sorry Brennan, if I hadn't done that, I mean, you could have gotten some sleep."

"Don't apologize Ange, if you hadn't kept me up the last 24 hours wouldn't have happened." Brennan's smile widened. "And they've been the best 24 hours of my life so far, even if they didn't start out that way."

"Wow. So studly really rocked your world. Well good for him, I always knew the G-man had it in him."

"It's not like that Angela. I, I woke up in my bedroom and I was having nightmares…the bad kind."

"Oh dear. I'm sorry sweetie, was it one of the ones where Booth gets…"

"Yes, though actually it wasn't just one it…it was all of them. It, I-I was having a very bad night it seems."

"So you woke up from the nightmares and he was there to take care of you?"

"I didn't just wake up from the nightmare, I woke up in his arms." Brennan's voice became softer, a wistful gleam entered her eyes. "He was holding me so close, rocking me in his arms, whispering to me, telling me he'd never leave, it would all be alright." Fingers tightened their grip on Brennan's forearm and she turned to see tears threatening to spill from Angela's eyes. "Angela I know you've tried to be there for me as much as you could when I've had those…dreams. It's just that you don't know what it's like and Booth…"

"Booth does, doesn't he?"

"He does. He's got his own demons, his own crosses he bears and he tries so hard to always take other's burdens, to always bear the weight for me, or my family, or Parker."

"Yeah, that's just the guy he is though Bren. He's a genuine knight in shining armor, a real old school kinda man." Angela sighed. "You know I loved Hodgins when we were together, and he tried, really tried, to be that kind of man for me but there were times I envied your connection with Booth."

"Angela…"

"No, don't get me wrong Bren. Hodgie's a great guy, he is, and I don't need that from him, I just, I think that our breaking up was probably the biggest mistake I could have made but, well, that's not important right now. The thing is when you find a guy like that you need to hang onto them, you know? Because guys like Hodgins, or Booth, they don't come along very often."

"I know. I think that's why I was able to finally able to accept some things last night."

"Accept things like what Bren?"

"I, I've accepted that I need Booth in my life and our being just partners isn't enough for me anymore." The tears that had threatened before finally spilled over, staining Angela's cheeks as Brennan spoke. "I asked him to stay with me Ange, and he said yes."

"You mean move in together right? Not just for last night but…"

"All the nights to come too."

"What'd Booth say? I mean I can imagine but…he said yes right?"

"He said he'd stay for as long as I'd let him."

"Oh wow. Sweetie, congratulations!" Brennan was surprised by her friend pulling her in for an enthusiastic hug, and more so when she was released and caught the wary look in her eyes. "Just one thing though, how long are we talking here Bren? I mean, you can't pull a Pete on Booth and live with him for six months then bail and head to Guatemala again. If that's what you're planning on doing just…don't, okay? He's too good a man to get that kind of treatment from you."

"Again."

"Excuse me?"

"You mean that kind of treatment from me _again_, right Angela?" The pair sat back from one another, and Angela caught what looked like shame cloud Brennan's eyes. "You might as well say what we're both thinking Angela, that I've already run out on him more than once right? And that every time things start to get too real, or too much for me, I run. This last time though…" Brennan's voice trailed off, and when she spoke again it was thick with emotion. "Guatemala was a mistake I won't ever make again Angela. I won't…I can't ever do that to him again, and Booth, Booth knows that. He knows I'll never abandon him again."

"And Booth? You know that it's not always about you sweetie, what about Booth?"

"What about Booth? He'd never leave me Ange, not of his own free will, I know that now. I've known it really, I just…needed some reminding."

"And he reminded you?"

"Yes, last night, and this morning."

"I knew it! So you two did have sex!"

"Angela! Please! Quietly, this is still where we work and I'd rather not broadcast what we did, or did not, do last night."

"Wait, '_did not do_'? So you're going to tell me you didn't do the nasty with Booth last night?"

"Please, of course not. We were both exhausted Ange, and Booth hadn't even had the benefit of the sleep I'd gotten when I woke up from the nightmares. He was running on steam. He did hold me though, and I had the most wonderful night's sleep in his arms. He's quite warm, like a personal furnace really."

"Vapors sweetie, he was running on vapors. So he really does have a hot bod' huh? Well I guess that's something, but is that all of it? You fell asleep in each other's arms? Nothing else?"

"Well we kissed, before we fell asleep and again, when we woke. He kissed me awake."

"And it was…"

"Beyond amazing Angela. Booth is the best kisser I've ever known, he's just…amazing."

Brennan was surprised by another hug and got so twisted in Angela's arms that she had to pry her friend off her. "Angela!"

"What? Can't I be happy for my friend? So you guys kissed? Was there anything else, anything hot and steamy?"

"He made me breakfast." Seeing Angela's surprised look she hastened to continue. "Eggs Florentine actually, and the spinach was done just like they do it at _Alejandra_'_s, _it was amazing Ange."

"Oh, Bren that's wonderful. So you had a good night's sleep in your fella's arms, kissed a few times, and he made you a nice breakfast." Angela tried to sound supportive. "Not to be a wet blanket or anything but you think that's reason enough to ask him to move in with you?"

"I swear Angela, sometimes I don't understand you. You spent the last four years pushing us together and now that I finally admit my feelings for him you think we're moving too fast?"

"Well Brennan it's just that, I mean before you move in with someone you need to know if it's gonna work out, not that it won't between you and Booth, but there's more to a relationship that snuggling, hot kisses and a good breakfast."

"Please, listen to yourself Ange. First of all snuggling is a huge deal for me, I've never enjoyed snuggling with a man before, you know that, but with Booth it's like I can't sleep unless I'm practically on top of him. And the kisses weren't just hot, they were incredible, mind blowing even, and it wasn't just a good breakfast Angela, it was an amazing breakfast. I've never had anyone cook for me before and Booth is a great cook." Brennan gave her friend a crooked grin as she stood and began walking toward the door. "Of course as good as the food was, the sex we had afterwards was far, far more satisfying."

Angela sat dumbfounded, the words dying on her lips as she watched her friend make her way toward the office door. Brennan was nearly out of the office when she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder and pull her back toward the couch.

"Nuh-uh Brennan, not that easy. You don't get to mention sex with Booth and then just walk out the door."

"Angela…" the pleading tone made Angela stop and really look at Brennan, she could see the turmoil behind her eyes.

"You don't want to tell me do you? It's okay Bren, I get it. It's not like any other guy, it's Booth."

"You know I've never had any problem talking with you about other men, I just…this is Booth and it's ours, it's different and, well, I'd like to keep that between us, the important stuff anyway."

"Aww sweetie, you guys are gonna be great together." Angela hugged her friend close, happy tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Thanks Ange, I know." Brennan squeezed her friend back. "Say Angela, what _do_ you know about Brennan's Own?"

* * *

Brennan stared at the man across from her, though he was on the phone he half rose to greet her and motioned toward one of the chairs in front of his desk. Brennan regarded him carefully. He fit the profile she'd established from her own observations this afternoon. He was in his early fifties, but in excellent shape. Broad shouldered, closely cropped hair, a tanned, weathered face with deep set grey eyes that seemed to sparkle mischievously. From the military memorabilia scattered around his office he'd served for some time, there were pictures of him in the desert with three other men, one of whom she recognized as Booth. He spoke in a soft, yet languid manner, but from the faint accent she detected she knew he was a southerner, and a plaque on the wall confirmed he'd attended the Virginia Military Institute. Hanging up the phone he stood finally, extending his hand. They shook hands and then she sat quietly, not knowing exactly where to begin.

"Clarence Washburn ma'am, Director of Security here at the Jeffersonian. How can I help you out today Doctor Brennan?"

"Director Washburn…"

"Please Doctor Brennan, call me Clarence, or Gunny if you'd rather."

"Gunny?"

"Gunny here was a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marine Corps Bones, one hell of one too." Booth moved in to take the chair next to Brennan. "He'd have made an okay Ranger."

"Booth!"

Nearly bolting from her seat in surprise, Brennan smiled at him. Beaming his charm smile back, Booth closed the few feet between them and reached out to her, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder as he leaned in to drop a chaste kiss on her cheek. Brennan surprised him by tilting her head at the last second and kissing him on the lips and their chaste kiss lingered a second longer than he'd intended.

"I didn't expect you back so soon, you said six."

"Yeah, well Gunny here called me when you asked to meet him. Thought it might be easier if we were all in the same room to talk this out."

"You mean you thought it would be easier to manage my reaction to your conspiracy."

"Bones, Bones, Bones." Shaking his head Booth reached over to shake Washburn's hand.

"Ya' know Rooster, y'all ain't such a bad guy for a dog face." Washburn reached across the desk to shake Booth's hand. "I don't think he could have made it in the Corps, Doctor Brennan, might have been a bit much for him."

Brennan looked at the two men who were laughing and shaking hands, and started to nod, "So Gunny is a moniker, short for Gunnery Sergeant, but why did he call you Rooster, or dog face? You don't resemble a dog at all and are, in fact, quite attractive with very symmetrical features."

"Hey, thanks babe. I think you're pretty too." Booth flashed her a charming smile that only grew wider as he noticed her cheeks pinking. She leaned toward him and Booth did the same. Turning her head to whisper in his ear Booth could feel her warm breath tickling his cheek.

"Booth," she smiled at the way his skin broke out into gooseflesh and his breathing became shallow, "that's not going to save you now."

She sat back with a satisfied grin on her lips, and the sound of Washburn's laughter filling the room. Booth was shaking his head softly, an insincere chuckle dying on his lips and Brennan noted from his body's reaction to her that he was more than a little aroused just then. Her grin grew larger.

"You'll have to ask Booth here why he's called Rooster. That's his story to tell, but I will tell ya' he earned that title." Washburn settled back in his chair and nodded at Brennan. "Ya' got a live one there Rooster. I'd wish you luck but somethin' tells me you're gonna need a helluva lot more than that with this lady."

"I assure you Gunny, Booth's fate will be decided in this room. And if I'm not satisfied when I leave, he won't be again for quite some time."

"Bones!" He hissed, and Washburn's laughter redoubled in volume and rang off the walls. "Please baby, not now."

"I told you Booth, don't call me Baby." Turning back to Washburn, Brennan cleared her throat. "Gunny I wanted to ask you about a group called Brennan's Own."

"Alright, what did you need to know about them Doctor Brennan?"

"Please, call me Tempe or Temperance, Gunny, after all there's no need for us to be so formal since you've been conspiring with Booth here." Her eyes narrowed, taking in the features of the man across from her. The word 'conspire' seemed to affect him like she knew it would. "And I want to know everything. Who are they, how many, but mostly I want to know why?"

"Well then let's take that last one first then Doc." Washburn settled back in his chair, smiling at Brennan's reaction to his nickname for her. "When Booth came to me two and half years ago I was looking for some way to make a difference. I was thirty-four years in the corps, ready to retire finally but not knowing what to do. He told me about this job, Director of Security for the Jeffersonian Institute, and it sounded like a pretty sweet deal. Only one hitch according to Rooster, and that was a certain element in the Jeffersonian that would probably give me ulcers and migraines."

"Booth!" Spinning in her chair she glowered at him, but Booth sat unabashed.

"C'mon Bones, you gotta admit you and the squint squad get into more trouble on a per capita basis than anyone else." The reassuring tone had no effect on her at all and Booth could swear he saw steam rising from her ears. "It wasn't just for you, ya' know. Cam, Angela, even Hodgins. All of you guys benefit."

"Then why are they called _Brennan's Own,_ Booth, hmm?" Brennan turned back to Washburn, sitting straighter in her seat as she did. "If you can't tell me the truth Booth, maybe you should leave so I can talk to Gunny Washburn by myself."

"Bones, please…"

"Rooster, maybe you _should_ leave. This is my territory after all, and if the doc has questions I'm sure I can answer them."

Booth looked between the two, then leaned over to place a kiss on Brennan's cheek, hesitating only when it became clear she wasn't going to acknowledge his presence. Finally he turned toward the door to leave, only stopping to looking back at her once more. He noticed she still hadn't moved and he sighed, defeated.

"You still want me to drive you home tonight Bones?"

"I left my car here last night, I'll drive myself home thank you."

"Fine, well, don't work too late okay? I was going to make something for dinner but maybe I'll just order some Thai?"

"Thai sounds good but don't wait up for me, I've got a lot of paperwork to catch up on since I missed the first half of the day today and I know Angela still wants to talk so I might grab something to eat with her."

"Okay, well, call me if you're going to be late. Please?" Her chin dropped to her chest.

"Good bye Booth."

"Don't worry Rooster, I'll make sure the doc here is taken care of."

Without another word or a backward glance Booth closed the door behind him. Brennan slumped back in her chair, her eyes screwed shut, and she let a ragged breath out slowly. When she opened them the cold grey eyes of Gunny Washburn were staring back at her, all twinkling and amusement gone.

"Doctor Brennan, it isn't any of my business I'm sure, but you were a might hard on the man there."

His change in tone and diction wasn't lost on her, and Brennan straightened up in her seat, responding with an equally measured tone. "You're right Mister Washburn, it isn't any of your business. Now about Brennan's Own."

Washburn swiveled in his chair and reached down into a desk drawer. When he pulled his hand back it held a stack of manila folders that he set down in front of her.

"There's six security officers right now, two more being vetted. We're planning on nine so we can rotate them through weekends and holidays, your schedule is a bit demanding for a six-man team." Brennan was about to protest but Washburn ignored her and continued on. "Also Special Agent Booth wanted us to include a couple of women to the roster and finding someone qualified took time."

"So six now, eventually nine. And what is the real reason you and Booth conspired to do this, to put together some special squad of guards…and don't tell me it was for _everyone's_ benefit Mr Washburn, I don't like being lied to."

Washburn hunched forward, steepling his fingers. "Doctor Brennan, I'd appreciate it if you would avoid the term conspire. It has a negative connotation that I find offensive and it is patently incorrect."

"Is it? You and Booth did all this without asking me, all of it behind my back. Isn't that what's at the heart of a conspiracy? Subterfuge and lying?"

Washburn stiffened at her words, the accusatory tone barely masking the concealed hurt, and the only thing that kept his temper in check was the fact that he knew Booth's lying to her had hurt her more than she let on.

"Doctor Brennan, if you work on human remains without telling me everything you're doing is that a conspiracy?" She protested immediately but he continued to talk over her. "If you decide to move bones from modular storage to some other part of your lab, should you have to get my input? Do you think I want, or need, to know the minutia of your job on a daily basis?"

"Well no, but it's hardly the same thing it's…

"Isn't it? Whether you like it or not I _am_ the Security Director for the Jeffersonian Institute and that means I'm responsible for all of the Jeffersonian's assets, from priceless paintings to ancient mummies, from one of a kind inventions to Roman antiquities, Elvis's jumpsuit, Buddy Holly's guitar…" Washburn stood, pushing his chair back and began slowly pacing behind his desk. "I hear the word _priceless_ used a helluva lot around here. But you ask any of the bean counters around here and they can give you a price for any one of those so-called priceless artifacts. Any one of them except those that walk around on two legs and make my life hell."

"You mean me, but I'm not a priceless artifact and you're not responsible for me Gunny, and this is what I don't understand. Why you and Booth…"

"You jes' don't get it. I'm responsible for all the assets here at the Jeffersonian and that includes the ones that walk around giving me indigestion always being so damned contrary, like billionaire entomologists and pain-in-the-ass Forensic Anthropologists." Washburn leaned forward, his balled up fists hitting the desk to support his weight. "Doc, as long as you work here, doing what you do, your security is my concern. I know you don't like it, and I know you think Booth overstepped his bounds, but he recommended me for the job knowing I'd do it right, and I do. That don't mean I bend over for the man, he's handsome an' all but he ain't exactly my type if you know what I mean."

Brennan had to stifle a laugh at that and she saw the sparkle return to Washburn's eyes. He sat down, still leaning forward and she found herself edging closer to his desk to maintain the sense of intimacy.

"Booth told me what I was getting into, and he wanted to say something to you up front but I told him it'd be a bad idea because I was sure you'd react like this, all head strong and contrary." Washburn held up a hand to belay her protest. "Now no denyin' it Doc, that's what you are, it's what makes you the best at what you do and what makes that man so crazy about ya', but that don't mean you're easy to take right off. And I admit, I should have listened to him back when this all started but like I said, I don't bend over no matter how cute he is."

"So you're saying I overreacted and should apologize to Booth?"

"No, I'm saying you reacted like I thought you would since you didn't have all the information, but now that you do, maybe you should look it over and then decide if Rooster should get an apology or an ass kickin'. What ya' say?"

Brennan considered what he said, looking over the files in her hands and the open file he'd tossed at her that sat on the edge of his desk. So engrossed was she in her thoughts that she missed him coming around the desk until he touched her shoulder.

"Oh!" Looking up the first thing Brennan saw was the photo she'd admired earlier, her Booth standing alongside Gunny and two other men in the desert. "That's you with Booth."

"Yep, that's K-City. There was something go on down there that I'd tell you about but honestly it's Rooster's story to tell, but that mission was when we started calling him Rooster." Washburn pressed a USB drive into her hand and curled his fingers over hers as she closed her hand over it. "He's a good man Doc, one of the best, and he saved my sorry Marine ass more than once in the sandbox so I figure I owe him one. I wanted to give you something else to look over before you make up your mind what you're gonna do." He squeezed her hand gently, "When Rooster took you out of here yesterday, he asked for a blackout…no video or audio record so there'd be no chance anyone could get a copy of him carrying you out. My boys shut down the halls and I sat at the monitors, no one else has seen this but me. I think you should."

Washburn stood quietly and began to leave, stopping at the door only long enough to let her know he'd be back in twenty minutes and she could keep the drive. Brennan sat there for a few minutes not knowing what to do, then finally curiosity got the better of her and she moved behind his desk. His computer was up, the monitor showed a browser window with dozens of security camera icons, each labeled with a different section of the Jeffersonian. She clicked on the icon labeled Medico-Legal and a dozen camera views popped up. Cycling through them she saw Cam in her office, Angela talking to Hodgins in hers, Wendell was in the Ooky room working on an experiment, various techs were moving about the lab, and there was an exterior view of her office but no corresponding interior view. In fact she noted that her office was the only one where there was no interior view. She closed the browser window and plugged the USB drive into the keyboard. The sole content of the drive was a video file. Launching it she sat back and watched. Ten minutes later she was crying.

* * *

Cursing for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes she hit the gas and jerked the steering wheel hard to the right, cutting off the screaming driver in the delivery van that now sat behind her. Her fingers drummed constantly against the leather wrapped wheel, her foot tapping incessantly as she waited for the next space to open up, or traffic to roll forward. She'd never been a fan of DC traffic, but gridlock was never so tortuous. Waiting for the light to change she grabbed her phone and tried Booth again, and cursing softly she listened as her call went to voicemail again. She'd left three messages so far, the first had been a quiet request for him to call her as soon as he had the time, but with each call her reserve slipped a little more and the messages became more involved. This time there was almost nothing left and she found herself babbling.

"Booth, Seeley it's me, Bones…I, I'm on my way home and I was thinking maybe, maybe you'd rather have Indian instead? I just, um, I think we've eaten our share of Thai lately and there's this place I've been wanting to try, Jyoti's? It's close to your place and I thought we could get dinner and maybe swing by to pick up some things. I, I'm sorry Seeley I…I'm not running, and I'll see you when I get home."

'_Great Temperance, just great. You leave him some rambling message about eating too much Thai and maybe having Indian and you think he's not going to bolt? You sound deranged, and after everything else, the way you acted in Washburn's office…oh God Booth, please, be there when I get home. Please._'

Brennan continued to drum her fingers against the steering wheel, cursing at every opportunity; the scenes from that video file on a loop in her brain. Booth cradling her against his chest, walking the empty hallway with Angela.

"_First of all, we __**are**__ partners Angela. I know you want us to be something more, but it just isn't going to happen before Bones is ready for it to happen. Even then…when it happens. Well, I honestly don't know if I'm the right man for her."_

"_Trust me, honey, you're the right man for the job. Hell, you're the only man that hasn't left her, betrayed her, or broken her heart. In my book you're pretty close to the perfect man period, and believe me, Brennan's more than ready."_

"_Thanks for that vote of confidence Angela, but I-I've got a past. I've…done things, things I'm not proud of, things that…I just can't help but think that Bones deserves better than me."_

"_Better than a man who'll carry her all the way from her office to his car and drive her home? Better than a man who's put together his own private army just to protect her? Better than a man who'd close down an entire section of the Jeffersonian just to spare her ego?"_

"_How about a man that doesn't let her get to the point that she needs protecting? If I'd been a better partner and friend she wouldn't be so exhausted right now, she wouldn't need this."_

When she finally pulled into her apartment building her heart clenched. The SUV wasn't in its normal space. He'd left. She let loose a shuddering breath, her eyes stinging from the hot tears that rolled freely down her face. She didn't blame him, she couldn't, she'd been so angry with him, sounded so cold when he lied to her in Washburn's office. She should have known he'd have a reason, even if it wasn't one she understood it would have made sense to him. She should have known, but it was all still so new and she handled it so badly. Brennan cursed herself again. She'd promised him, promised she'd tell him as often as he needed to hear it, that she'd never run again, but instead she'd frozen him out and it must have seemed like she was running. He must have thought she'd changed her mind.

Moving mechanically she got out of her car, gathered her things and trudged up the path to her building. She said nothing to the doorman, barely acknowledged Reggie when he greeted her by name. Stood stoically when he got the elevator door for her, and managed not to cry when he asked if Booth would be back soon.

The walk down the hallway to her door was the longest she could remember, it seemed like each step toward the apartment took her farther away from the feeling of home. Opening the doorway, the stillness that greeted her broke her heart all over again. He was gone. She could still smell breakfast lingering in the air, the scent of his cologne was a ghost in the living room, and as she entered the bedroom the sights and sounds that struck her left her reeling. The smell of their lovemaking still lingered in the air, she could see the tangle of their bodies in the sheets, and the towels left on the floor spoke of their time in the shower. Falling back against the wall Brennan wondered how she would ever sleep in this room again, it was no longer hers, it was theirs and she'd ruined it, ruined them.

"Bones!"

Brennan's head snapped up, and she blinked away the tears, sure she was hallucinating now, hearing his voice. She looked at the clock on her nightstand, she'd been crying for nearly twenty minutes. Could it be?

"Bones, where are you babe? Reggie said you were home…Bones?"

Struggling to stand, Brennan called back. "I'm in here Seeley, I…I just got home."

"Well I got dinner so when you're ready come on out and join me."

"I'll be right there, I-I just have to use the bathroom."

Brennan steadied herself against the wall and made her way toward the master bathroom. Soaking a facecloth in cold water she carefully pressed it to her eyes, washing away the signs of crying. Holding onto the sink she sobbed softly into the cloth, grateful for the second chance he'd given her, even if she didn't deserve it. She wanted to run to him then, to apologize, to tell him how wrong she was but she needed to calm down first. She wanted him to stay because he wanted to, not because he pitied her. She could take anything but pity.

"Bones? Baby? Are you in there?"

"Shit" Brennan cringed when she realized she'd said it aloud instead of merely thought it.

"What's wrong babe? C'mon Bones, speak to me." Booth rested his hand against the door. "Bones, I'm coming in okay baby?"

"NO! Please Booth don't. I'll be right out, I'll be right…out." Her voice fell off into a throaty whisper as the door opened.

The sight before him nearly broke his heart. Brennan stood at the sink, her eyes red rimmed and slightly puffy, her pallid skin tinged pink from neck to cheek, and the sloppy ponytail she'd worn home from work coming undone. Distress was written on her face, and he couldn't stand that he might have been the cause.

"Baby, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I, I…I'm sorry." Brennan threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest and inhaling deeply. "I'm so sorry Seeley."

Booth felt his chest tighten as he held the trembling woman in his arms. He crushed her to him, pressing his face into her hair. "Baby, you got nothing to be sorry about. Believe me."

Pushing against him, Brennan twisted in his arms and tilted her head back to look him in the eyes.

"Seeley, I should have given you a chance to explain yourself. I never should have asked you to leave Gunny's office like that. I know you were only doing what you thought was right, I was just upset you didn't keep me informed."

"It wasn't just that Bones, I lied to you too." He saw the argument on her lips and he pressed his fingers against them, stilling her protest. "I didn't tell you the whole truth baby, and when you asked me outright I confused things. That's lying by omission and, well, outright lying. I meant well but, I know you Bones. I know you can't stand being lied to."

"I trust you Booth, with my life and…with my heart. I just, I need you to be honest with me, please, and we'll deal with things together."

She saw the twinkling in his eyes and lifted her face to meet his, kissing him with all the pent up emotion she was feeling. Her mind reeled at the passion of their embrace, and Booth crushed her against his chest, turning and lifting her until she was sitting on the vanity. The kiss became more heated, lips pressed together in a bruising embrace, tongues dancing together, seeking purchase in each others' mouths. Booth felt her blunt nails drag across the sheer fabric of his tee as her hands slid beneath his hoodie, and he growled into her mouth as she dug then into his back. Brennan released a throaty moan as she felt Booth's hands trail down her sides and back, the calloused pads of his fingers dipping under the hem of her blouse and teasing the bare skin they found there.

They broke apart, panting, and Booth smiled at her. "You know we've got to stop doing this or we'll kill ourselves inside a month."

"Stop kissing, or stop having sex?"

"Neither babe, stop the whole emotional roller coaster drama ride. We're more than that now sweetheart, we've got to accept that neither of us is gonna run the first time there's trouble."

"Mmm, I think you're right about that." Brennan nipped at his jaw, trailing kisses down until she reached his ear where she playfully bit at the lobe. "But if you start calling me sweetheart I will stop having sex with you."

Kissing her deeply once more Booth's husky voice was naught but a whisper, but Brennan felt it in every fiber of her body. "I promise baby, I won't call you sweetheart again…unless you're asking for it."

"You know we're going to have to talk eventually, but I was thinking we could get something to eat, and then maybe…maybe we could run by your place and pick up some of your things?" Her pleading look nearly undid him and Booth stepped back, grabbing her hands and pulling her along with him, leading her out of their bathroom and toward dinner.

"Way ahead of you babe, stopped by Jyoti's on the way back from my place and picked up dinner, and I've got some stuff in the truck."

"You do?"

"Yeah, not a lot, just a few suits and some casual stuff. I mean, I figured we could start going through my stuff this weekend but then the more I thought about it the less I liked the idea."

"Oh. Well that's okay, I mean, you don't have to move in if you don't want to. I know you've got Parker to think of and…" Booth stopped her rambling with a kiss.

"Relax baby, I was just thinking that I've got Parker next weekend so this weekend should really be about us. Besides, Parks will get a kick out of helping us go through my stuff and deciding what goes into storage and what comes with us back here."

Brennan tugged against him, stopping them both in the hallway. Booth turned to see what was bothering her and saw the uncertain look on her face that always threatened to undo him.

"He will?"

"Of course he will, he's crazy about you baby. Just like his old man." Booth looped his arms around her and pulled her into a loose embrace.

"So…you're staying then? I mean, you're going to move in, with me?"

"I keep telling you Temperance, I'll stay as long as you'll want me to."

Melting into his embrace once more Brennan sighed contentedly, "How did I ever get so lucky, finding you?"

Booth wondered at the sentiment, since he felt the same and more for her. "I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, as long as I had you Temperance."

"Even if it's forever Seeley?" Brennan wrapped her arms tighter around his waist.

Kissing her temple softly, he whispered into her hair. "Forever isn't time enough babe, but it's a start. It's a definite start."

_

* * *

_

A/N: This is not the end, there will be an epilogue chapter coming soon. As always, feedback is welcome.


	5. Chapter 5 Our Revels Now Are Ended

**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately I don't own nor am I involved with the production of _Bones_. On the plus side, I work cheap so if Hart Hanson and Company are reading this - call me.

**Synopsis**: Two months later we find the partners, now the couple, having fallen into each other's lives naturally and their happiness seems assured. Yet something on the horizon that threatens the status quo. Wither our favorite couple once the revels all are ended?

_A/N: This was supposed to be the last chapter of my one shot turned triple shot now multi shot, and while I'm still planning a follow up piece that's more a continuation of this timeline, I've got one more chapter left to round this one out. As always, adult situations and language apply._

**Chapter Five - Our Revels Now Are Ended**

* * *

_**Two months later…**_

He woke as always, eyes snapping open, body remaining frozen, the product of years of sniper training, honed razor sharp by months of life with Brennan. He'd come to love the pre-dawn hours, the time when the grey light of the new day filtered through the window blinds and washed the room anew. He'd let his eyes wander about, noting the changes the last two months had wrought, the mingling of their lives displayed through the mingling of their things. As always he was surprised to find himself there with her, in their room. '_Our room,_' the thought came unbidden, and it was now, truly theirs, in every sense of the words. Brennan shifting against his body sent a thrill through him and pulled his focus back toward the angel in his arms. He lay a kiss upon her temple, inhaling the scent of her hair as he did, marveling at how jasmine and heather had taken a place among his favorites. Arms tugged her closer and the warmth of her body spread against his own, the soft sighing as she relaxed against him drew a smile. Their sleeping requirements had been the biggest change for both, and the easiest to accommodate, as they needed only to sleep with each other to find rest. He needed contact, but not just contact, her scent, and so he slept most always with his face not far from her hair or neck. She needed contact, but not just contact; she needed to feel him, and his arms were not enough. No, she had to lay along his length, naked, her body molded to his, and as often as not she would wake to find herself partially or wholly atop him, sleeping more on him than the bed itself. Neither minded, neither joked or even talked about it much, for neither had ever felt those needs before. Now, two months later, neither could imagine sleeping any other way.

A sudden shift in the status quo broke his train of thought. A squirming burden filled his arms and no sooner had he blinked but his vision was filled with the smiling face of his paramour. Eyes sparkling, mouth parted sweetly as she smiled down at him, Brennan pressed a kiss against his lips. Instinctively Booth's hand travelled from its station at the small of her back to bury itself in the burnished chestnut locks, and their kiss grew more heated, hands found new purchase along their bodies. This was the other change each had grown accustomed to, making love in the mornings. He woke each morning from habit, she from necessity, but in truth neither could truly be called morning people, and yet since that first day together each found their body's needs demanding they be awake before dawn, and there was no such thing as going back to sleep until their needs were fully sated.

Booth's vision blurred as her hands found a particularly sensitive spot that drew a shudder from his body, and his responding touch pulled a mewling moan from her. Rolling them over, pinning Brennan beneath him as his lips feasted hungrily on the exposed column of her neck, he couldn't help but think back to her words so many months ago, and he knew that he was right. Forever wasn't time enough for them, but it was a start. A definite start.

* * *

Wendell watched as Brennan turned the fragment over in her hands. He and Daisy had puzzled over the skeleton for hours. The bones were badly deteriorated, some badly broken in a fall, others crushed from some weapon, and still others cut clean in two by a sharp blade. Until they had the skeleton reassembled they couldn't determine cause of death, and the plethora of fragments facing them made that exceedingly difficult. He watched as his mentor huffed in frustration, rotating the bone again. Finally she set it down, stepped back from the table and rubbed the backs of her gloved hands against her eyes. When they snapped open Wendell flinched. Cobalt blue sparkled under the florescent lights as she stood there scanning the table from left to right until she stopped suddenly, picking up two additional fragments, one of equal length to the fragment she'd been studying, the other a small triangular nub. She carefully aligned them until the pieces snapped into place.

"Wow. That was an amazing trick, Doctor Brennan." The whisper of wonder echoed around the three figures, drawing a glaring look from Brennan.

"Really Miss Wick, though I can appreciate that this particular set of skeletal remains is proving more difficult than many in its assembly, that was hardly a parlor trick – it's what we do."

"I'm sorry, Doctor Brennan. It's just, you're so amazing sometimes I don't…" Wendell bumped her shoulder, drawing a glare from Daisy, whose expression softened almost instantly at his quirked eyebrow.

"What Daisy's trying to say, Doctor Brennan, is that while we know it's not a parlor trick, after three hours of looking for the right pieces to put the fourth anterior rib segment together, watching you do it so easily _seems_ like magic."

Brennan gave him a grudging smile, and handed Daisy the rib segment, indicating that she should fetch a fresh assembly kit to begin gluing the pieces together. As Daisy walked off, Brennan turned toward Wendell. In the past she'd have lectured him about the impossibility of magic and the importance of maintaining a rational perspective at work, but time with Booth had changed her enough to sense a compliment when she heard one. Motioning for him to join her on her side of the table, Brennan put a hand on his shoulder and pulled the young man back so he was even with her.

"The key is to know when your focus is too narrow." Wendell looked at his boss and smiled knowingly before turning his attention back to the table and its contents. "You and Miss Wick were focused only on locating the bone whose edges would most likely fit, and while that is laudable, once you'd gone through them all and failed to find any candidates you should have stepped back to gain a fresh perspective. It's a case of not seeing the forest for the trees, only in this case the forest is a metaphor for the fourth anterior rib segment…"

"And the trees are the bone shards. Got it." Chagrined by interrupting his boss, Wendell shot her an apologetic look only to see Brennan beaming a smile at him.

"Good. Then you won't mind demonstrating what you've learned." Wendell swallowed as Brennan cocked an eyebrow at him and tilted her head toward the table. Screwing his eyes shut he let out a breath and tried vainly to clear his head, eventually settling on hockey stats for the Bruins' '97 season. When his eyes snapped open a second later he let them fall to the table, un-focusing, then refocusing, so he could see the whole table at a glance. His vision swept from corner to corner, and he was surprised to see things jump out at him that he'd missed before. Moving deftly, Wendell went to the exam table and picked up two disparate pieces of bone, locking them together easily. These he joined to another segment and holding them up for Doctor Brennan he could scarcely contain his glee.

"Hmm, they are an excellent fit, and not obvious from the interior splintering…this would comprise the rest of the seventh rib. Very good, Mr Bray. You got it in one." She stifled a snort at the look of shock on his face at her colloquialism and her smile grew. "Sorry, Booth's bad habits seem to be rubbing onto me, but it was an apt expression I think."

"No problem, Doctor Brennan, and it's rubbing _off_, not onto, the implication being that the behavior or trait is akin to a stain that one would acquire from repeated close contact." He grinned back at his boss, whose smile brightened at a familiar sound from behind her.

"Bray, you makin' time with my woman?" The booming voice echoed throughout Limbo and both turned around to see the source.

Booth was leaning against the entryway, the jacket of his three piece suit hanging open, his vest drawn tightly across his abdomen. Brennan beamed a smile at him, her hands fumbling to pull themselves free of her gloves. Once they were she shoved them at Wendell as she jogged toward Booth. Stepping forward he enveloped her in a bone crushing hug and kissed her hungrily. Wendell gave them time, but when he heard the distinctive clack of Daisy's shoes approaching he hastily cleared his throat. When she'd re-appeared Brennan was standing on the steps in front of Booth, whose hand rested lightly on her shoulder.

"Miss Wick, Mr Bray will take the lead in reconstruction from this point forward. I would appreciate it if you would assist him in the catalogue and storage of the remains. I expect you will both be here until late tonight so do plan accordingly." Brennan hesitated when she felt Booth squeeze her shoulder, hastily whispering words in her ear and she nodded once, contritely. "Oh, and you should make sure to take time for dinner. No point in letting hunger dull your faculties."

"Yes, Doctor Brennan," the pair chimed together. Brennan pushed past Booth as she left. He lingered a second longer smiling at the pair working together and blushing at Daisy's comments to Wendell. Shaking his head he chased after his girlfriend, intent on following up on their kiss and all it promised.

* * *

The sounds of bickering preceded the happy couple, and so common was the sound that no one really noticed it at all. They walked the halls, side by side, heads tilted toward one another as they went, hands touching, shoulders rubbing, intimate, but not overly so. The volume of their disagreement waxed and waned as was its wont, and as they rounded the corner toward the Medico-Legal lab, it was firmly on the wax.

"I am not playing favorites, Booth. He simply grasps concepts faster than the others," Brennan defended.

"Hey Bones, I'm not complaining, really I'm not, 'cause Wendell, well, he's like the most normal guy here and that I could get used to. It's just…"

"Just what, Booth?"

"I don't want you to compromise for me, okay? I mean, whoever you pick is going to be _your_ intern, not mine, and you need to be 100% sure you get the right person for you." Booth squeezed her shoulder softly. "Temperance, no one can replace Zack in your heart, so you need to find someone who's the best fit for you. If that's Vinnie or Fisher, even if it's the Indian guy…"

"Aroosto, and he's not Indian, he's Iranian."

"Whatever. Look, all I'm saying is if you're favoring Wendell as a favor to me, then don't. This is about you, babe, not me, and I don't want you making the choice that you think _I_ want. I want you to make the choice _you_ really want." Seeing the confused look on her face Booth nudged her. "What is it, baby?"

"I don't know what's more disconcerting. The sudden realization that I've become habituated to you calling me 'baby', or the fact that I actually understood that ramble." Brennan dropped a soft kiss on his shocked lips before the pair resumed their walk. "Fine. I agree that you're right to be concerned, but you must accept that out of all the candidates for a permanent job as my assistant, Wendell is currently the best suited. He's not only among the brightest, but his unorthodox reasoning style often provides insights that the others overlook. He's a quick study and a determined student with an excellent work ethic and a broad degree of life experience to draw from."

"And he's the least annoying one of the bunch, isn't he?"

"Without a doubt. Fisher's either too morose or too focused on his next sexual conquest to devote himself entirely to the work at hand. Aroosto's religious fervor is inherently disconcerting… What?" Brennan rolled her eyes at Booth's worried look. "Relax, Seeley. It's not his religious faith that bothers me; it's his fervent need to pray constantly I find disruptive and more than a little off putting."

"Okay, so you'd be okay with him being a practicing Muslim, as long as he didn't actually practice his faith?"

"Exactly."

Sighing, Booth shook his head gently. "So he prays too much. What about the others?"

"Well, Mr Nigel-Murray's constant quoting of random trivia can become both grating and a distraction. At first it was rather reminiscent of Zack, but…"

"He's not Zack." Seeing her lips tighten into a thin, joyless smile, Booth's hand slipped briefly to her side, dropping low enough for him to pinch her hip, drawing a surprised look. "Baby, no one will ever be Zack. You can't hold that against him."

"Yes, I know. It's not just that. He seems to have difficulty keeping his libido in check around Angela, and after her and Hodgins, and now her and Wendell, well, I don't need any love quadrangles in the work place." Brennan ignored Booth's snort and continued. "That of course leaves only Daisy and she…she's not as bad as she used to be. In fact, she's much improved..." Brennan turned and caught his eye. "There's still something about her that just sets me on edge."

Booth put his hand on the small of her back and steered them toward her office, his voice staying low as he talked.

"Look Bones, she idolizes you. They all do really. It's just for her you're like a hero…you're her Wonder Woman, alright?"

"Booth, what do you know that I don't?" Her challenging tone made him sigh, and Booth's voice dropped to a conspiratorial level.

"Daisy was pissed that you put Wendell in charge." Catching the look on Brennan's face he explained it to her. "She called him an 'ass-kissing suck up' who only got to do it because he was my hockey buddy, and I…"

"And you thought it must be true because I'm so head over feet in love with you that I'd compromise my principles to make you happy." Brennan smiled sweetly at him. "Well you're not entirely wrong, Booth, but I'm not compromising myself to make you happy. Wendell has earned his position. The fact that he's your hockey buddy not withstanding."

"Thanks, Bones." Booth let her malapropism slide, happy to be proven wrong.

"No, thank you, Booth, and later today I shall have a talk with Miss Wick and explain things to her in no uncertain terms."

"Booones…"

"What? I can be tactful when needed." Brennan quickened her pace. "I just rarely see the need."

* * *

The weather was pleasant so the pair walked to the diner that day. Brennan loved the long walk with him as it afforded them ample opportunity to hold hands and kiss openly with no cares as to who was watching or what they might say. Despite a few slips here and there, they'd managed to maintain a mostly professional demeanor since beginning their relationship, though at the Hoover it was more hands off, which amused Brennan to no end. The fact that her openly affectionate boyfriend could, and would, without hesitation, plant a paint peeling kiss on her in front of half the staff of the Jeffersonian, but paled at the thought of holding hands while standing in the hallowed halls of the Hoover, gave her ample opportunity to embarrass him. Opportunities she'd avoided taking serious advantage of since they'd both decided to keep what was going on between them as quiet as possible.

She found it intriguing, the semi-secrecy of their relationship. While almost all the Medico-Legal lab knew, as did her guys (the men Booth called 'Brennan's Own'), there were key individuals who were kept out of the loop: Sweets, and by necessity, Daisy. In fact, she was sure that none of the interns knew except Wendell, who'd seen their very public kiss that day. The more she thought about it, the more she considered telling Booth _why_ she truly wanted Wendell to earn the job. It was his discretion, the fact that he'd kept their secret, her secret, meant she could trust him, and trust was a commodity Brennan valued above all others, and it was the one thing he had that Zack didn't. Her trust.

Before she knew it they were at the diner, and in no time their normal lunchtime routine asserted itself. Eating, laughing, stealing fries, and bickering, always bickering. The last few months the biggest changes in their lunchtime routine were the overt displays of affection, the touching, the lingering looks, the occasional stolen kiss over the table, and of course the bickering. Before it had been a way to tease and toy with one another; now it was more intimate, more purposeful, and more often about when they would tell everyone else that they were finally together. Booth, of course, maintained that waiting was the best option for now.

"You just don't get it, Bones. I've checked with my guys in both the Bureau's Legal Department and Human Resources. Technically the rules regarding establishing romantic relationships between partners are straight forward – it's generally prohibited between field agents given the high risk of physical injury and the potential for traumatic emotional fallout."

"I do understand, Booth. _We _are not field agents – _you_ are." Brennan jabbed in his direction with her fork. "I'm a forensic anthropologist and don't even work for the FBI. The Jeffersonian has no problem with us as long as my work doesn't suffer."

"And there's no chance of that. I get it, Bones." Shaking his head slowly, Booth swallowed the mouthful of cheeseburger he'd been chewing and continued. "Thing is, the FBI's regs don't really differentiate between contractors and agents, so my guy in human resources is telling me that it's the same for us = that if we're in a romantic relationship they'll separate us."

"And what does your guy in Legal say?"

"Ah, well Sammy says that it's not nearly as cut and dried – in fact she says that since you're an outside contractor working with the FBI the rules have no bearing on us at all, and the only thing they could do is put me before a review board for failure to report a change in our status. Once that was done it'd be up to my immediate supervisor and the Associate Deputy Director, and that's Hacker."

"Hmm, and you think he'll be a problem?"

"Don't know really. He's like my boss's boss's boss, so if he has an issue with us it could be a real problem."

"What about Cullen?"

"Sam? He's still the Deputy Director, so technically he's Hacker's boss, and as a unit SAC I've got the option of going directly to him…"

"Then why don't you? If it would help us, I mean I just, I…" Brennan faltered, and she couldn't help but see the concern etched in Booth's face. She wasn't used to feeling unsure about them, but times like this she felt lingering doubts surface.

"Temperance, just be honest with me, okay?" Biting her lower lip she nodded once. "Now tell me what you were thinking, baby."

"Okay." She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I was thinking if it would help us, why don't you just go to Cullen, unless you don't want to because you're having second thoughts?"

Booth stood quietly, moving around the table to squeeze in next to Brennan. Reaching out he captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger and carefully lifted her face. Their gazes locked. He could see the lingering doubts in her sky blue eyes begin to fade as she searched his face and saw nothing but his unwavering love for her. Leaning forward Booth kissed the pout off her lips and smiled against her mouth.

Brennan's eyes closed automatically, and she sighed at the feeling of his lips softly ghosting over her own. When she opened them again she saw his soft brown eyes locked on her, a smoldering fire within them flaring as he spoke.

"Listen to me, Temperance Brennan. I have no doubts about us at all, and I'll go to Cullen. Hell, I'll go to Director Traynor himself if that's what it takes, you hear me?" Booth left a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Are we solid, baby?"

"We're solid, Seeley." Sighing, Brennan snuggled in against him, letting her head come to rest against his shoulder. "I just wish it wasn't all so complicated."

"Me too, babe, but nothing we've ever done has been easy, has it?"

"No. I don't suppose it has."

At that precise moment the waitress came by and slipped the bill on their table. Booth caught the note on the back and his face shot up to give her a thankful smile but she was already moving on. He hastily shifted to the other side of the table, and his knowing nod to Brennan was all she needed to spur her into hastily straightening up and turning her attention back to the long forgotten salad in front of her. By the time their company entered the diner, the previously good natured humor of their bickering was restored, and the two were gamely sparring over the upcoming weekend's schedule.

"So I was thinking I'd take Parker to the zoo Saturday, Bones, and well, I was thinking that maybe you'd like to go with us? You know it'll be a beautiful weekend, and it seems a shame to spend all that time with some musty old skeleton, cooped up inside when the sun will be out, and the cherry blossoms will be in bloom."

"I don't know, Booth, I have a lot of work to get caught up on…"

"Yeah, I know, Bones, but that's what the interns are for, right?" Beaming his patented charm smile at her, Booth kicked back as Daisy and Sweets approached. "I was thinking maybe you could make it a contest – give them each a couple of skeletons to work with and then check their work on Monday?"

"You know, Booth, that's a lot of thinking for you for one day. Are you sure you're not overtaxing yourself?" Brennan's mouth curled into a sly smile at the sight of Booth's slack jawed look.

"Ouch. Wicked burn there, Doctor Brennan." Sweets nodded at both of them. "Mind if we join you?"

"Nah, not at all, Sweets. Bones and I were almost finished anyway. Have a seat."

"Not that I mind, Sweets, but Daisy was working with Wendell on a set of remains from Limbo. Have you managed to finish them already, Miss Wick?" Brennan's pointed look drew a groan from both Booth and Sweets as the younger couple took their seats.

"No, not at all, Doctor Brennan, but you did say that we shouldn't let hunger dull our senses, so when Lance asked me out for lunch I just couldn't say no. It's his eyes. They're so soft and warm, like melted chocolate. Well, not really, but you know. It's just, when my Lancelot gives me that puppy-dog look with his eyes, well he can make me do almost anything." Daisy nodded at Booth, and continued in a lilting voice, "Looks like I'm not the only one."

Booth choked on his pie, and Sweets instinctively pounded his back to help dislodge the offending hunk of fruit while simultaneously shooting a warning glare at Daisy. Brennan, however, merely stared at the girl for a long minute before nodding once, sharply, and turning back to her tea.

"I concede that Booth does have a proven ability to persuade people using his considerable charm, and that his eyes, being both warm and expressive, are an integral part of said charm. However, I refuse to agree that any of his 'looks' have undue influence over me or my actions." Brennan took a long sip of her tea, suddenly aware that there were three sets of eyes staring at her. "What?"

"Oh c'mon, Doctor Brennan. You can't seriously expect us to believe that you aren't the least bit influenced by Agent Booth's charming smile or his overly expressive deep brown eyes? Or the way he'll furrow his brow when he's concerned about you and doesn't want to let on?" Sweets continued unaware of the bemused look on Booth's face.

"None of that has any bearing on my behavior, Sweets."

"Really?" Sweets' mocking tone riled Brennan.

"Yes, really. Booth's considerable charms not withstanding, it's past experience that dictates my actions. I know that when he comes to take me out to lunch that he won't leave me alone unless either I go with him to eat or prove I have plans to do so; hence, by acceding to his demands I'm simply expediting the process whereby I can return to work. Past experience, Doctor Sweets, that's all."

"Of course, but that's really not all there is to it, is it? I mean the man practically oozes charm and charisma, so how can you not be affected by it when he turns it all on you?"

Sweets still hadn't pulled back from the pounding he'd given Booth's back, and the hand that rested on the agent's shoulder squeezed reflexively as he spoke. Booth half turned toward the psychologist and glared at him before letting his eyes fall to the offending appendage.

"Um, Sweets, I don't know about Bones, but you think maybe you could back up off me now?"

The young man's eyes followed Booth's to the arm that was still looped over his shoulders, and he jerked it back like he was on fire.

"I, I'm sorry, Agent Booth. You just, um…"

"Really, Sweets, if you'd like some alone time with Booth I'm sure Miss Wick wouldn't mind accompanying me back to the lab."

"Ooh! Of course I wouldn't, Doctor Brennan. We could grab our lunches and eat them back at your office!"

"NO! No, that won't be necessary. I was just – he was choking and I was trying to help him and my arm, it was just…" Sweets saw Brennan's face twisting into a rictus of amusement, and Booth's own hearty guffaw joined her musical laugh. "Really funny, you guys, very mature."

Pushing back from his chair, Booth stood, thumping Sweets soundly on the back as he maneuvered around him.

"Don't worry, Sweets. You're not the first to fall victim to my considerable charms. Bones'll tell you I'm very hard to resist." Stepping back as Brennan fell in beside him, his hand finding its customary place at the small of her back, Brennan smiled at the embarrassed psychiatrist.

"It's true, though I was attesting to his impressive physical attributes…and I was addressing a suspect at the time." Brennan smiled softly at Booth, ignoring the blushing psychologist.

"Way to feed my ego, Bones. Never have to worry about a big head with you around."

The two were just out of earshot when Brennan leaned into his side and whispered back, her hot breath tickling his neck. "You've got the big head, Booth. In fact, it's one of the things I love about you."

Barely swallowing a growl, Booth whispered back, "Wait 'till we get home…"

* * *

It was the sound of one special ringtone that started it all. Having come back from lunch everyone congregated in Brennan's office, as had become the norm since she and Booth got together. Angela was talking to her about some club she thought they should all go to, and he could see his girlfriend struggling not to roll her eyes at the thought of 'shaking her booty' on the dance floor. He was standing near her couch, chatting amiably with Hodgins, Wendell and Cam about the upcoming hockey season and his team's need for a new goalie, when Hodgins professed a sudden desire to try out for the spot. Amid the eye rolling, chuckling, and good natured ribbing the entomologist was getting, Filter's _Nice Shot_ suddenly filled the musical void drawing everyone's attention. Booth held up a finger, hoping for silence, and answered his phone.

"Hey Walt…Jessie?" The surprise in his voice drew everyone's attention, but none more than Brennan who held up a hand silencing Angela's incessant need to question. "Relax Jess, I'm right here, now tell me what's going on."

The next few minutes were filled with a tense silence that was punctuated only by Booth grunting or swearing softly under his breath into the phone. Seeing the look of grief cloud his eyes, Brennan was instantly on her feet and moving moved toward Booth. She'd hoped their friends would take the hint and leave them alone to sort things out, but to her dismay they remained rooted in place, as if drawn by the sight of Booth's distress. Then Booth snapped his phone shut and collapsed on her couch.

"You okay there big guy?" Cam took a hesitant step toward him, looking for Brennan to take the lead. She didn't disappoint, pushing past Angela and Hodgins in her effort to reach Booth.

"Booth?" When there was no response from him, only a further furrowing of his brow, Brennan became concerned. Brennan knelt by his side, her hands resting gently on his arm, and she looked imploringly at him. "Seeley, baby, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

The shock on everyone's face from seeing Brennan acting so tenderly was nothing compared to the shock they got when Booth looked up from the phone in his hands to the woman kneeling beside him. The eyes so often described as warm and chocolaty were now clouded and muddy as Booth blinked away tears, letting them roll freely down his cheeks, his voice a strangled whisper.

"That was Jessica. Walt's dead."

Brennan choked back a gasp. She'd only met the man twice but knew how important he was to Booth, and how much of a hole this would leave in his life. He was devastated now, and vulnerable, and he needed her to take care of him but she wasn't sure how. Then a voice broke the silence and it all snapped into place.

"Walt? Who's Walt?" Angela looked from Hodgins to Cam, neither seeming to know what was going on or who the mysterious Walt was, but both seemed horrified at her tasteless question.

Wendell shifted nervously from foot to foot, looking at his co-workers, jerking his head toward the door. No one seemed to pay much attention to him, but everyone paid attention when Brennan bolted upright following Angela's words. The cold, resolute look on her face would brook no discussions, no hesitance. Whatever Brennan demanded next it was perfectly clear she expected complete and utter compliance.

"I need the room, now." Her voice was soft, yet the timbre suggested steel, like a saber drawn from its sheath. She saw some hesitance in Angela, her best friend stepping toward her instead of the door, and Brennan's eyes flashed. "Now."

Hodgins reached out and snaked an arm around Angela's waist, half pulling, half guiding her out of the room. When the artist actually tried to turn back it was Wendell's hand that caught her shoulder and helped guide the distraught woman from the room amid her protests that Brennan needed her.

For her part Brennan stood immobile, guarding the shaken Booth, watching her friends leave. She hastened to grab Cam's arm and pull her close before the woman could escape the stifling atmosphere of the room, and leaning in, Brennan hissed into her ear.

"Cam, I need you to make some calls for me…" Before she could finish she felt the other woman's fingers covering her own.

"No need, Doctor Brennan, I'm on it. How long?"

"The rest of the week, at least. We'll call Cullen if there's any change in plans, and I'll let you know about the funeral arrangements."

"Got it, and I'll get on it." Giving Brennan's hand a reassuring squeeze she turned to leave, only turning back a second later. "Doctor Brennan? Take care of yourself too, not just the big guy. Okay?"

Nodding mutely, Brennan let her hand drop from Cam's arm and turned to tend Booth. He sat as she'd left him, staring numbly at the spot where she'd been kneeling, hands idly turning the phone over like a large poker chip. She heard the door close and lock, a grim smile passing her lips at the knowledge that Cam at least knew what to do. Struggling again at the right thing to say, Brennan gave up and decided to go with her strength and be rational. She stepped over to her desk and picked up her desk phone, base and all, and took it over to Booth. Nudging him with her knee, she coaxed him into moving over and sat beside him, placing the phone on the table in front of them. Brennan's hand fell to Booth's thigh and his jerky response was the first outward sign of distress she'd seen other than his tears. She patted him comfortingly, greeting his upturned face with a sad smile.

"Booth? I need you to focus now, okay? I need you to help me, Seeley; help me help Jessica. Can you do that?" Brennan saw the struggle behind his eyes, red rimmed and puffy even from the small amount of crying he'd done so far. He seemed so vulnerable and she knew he needed to grieve, but she also knew if he didn't help Jessica he'd hate himself later; blame himself for letting both of them down. She couldn't stand that. She'd rather he hate her now than himself ever, so swallowing hard, Brennan did what she had to do and pinched his thigh.

Booth said nothing. He barely grimaced, so she did it again. The second time he shot her a pitying look. Frustrated she reached over and pulled his cell from his hands, setting the offending item far from either of them. When Brennan turned back to him, she finally snapped.

"Man up, ranger. You've got a job to do. You've got people who depend on you and that means there's no time for this self pity bullshit, alright?" Brennan took the receiver from its cradle and shoved it into his hands, not really caring how he was looking at her just then as long as it wasn't like some wounded puppy. "I know you're hurting, Booth, but so is Jessica, and you'll forgive me if I think _she_ might be the priority right now. She needs you. She's lost Walt and you're all she has left. You and Hank. So you're going to man up and be there for her, are we clear?"

"Crystal."

The word was spat more than spoken, his voice thick with emotion, rough from choking back tears, and hard on the edges. Taking the phone in hand, Booth began dialing, and for the next two hours Brennan sat by his side, taking notes, fetching coffee, stroking his thigh or looping an arm over his shoulders to hug him close when he needed it. As dark as it was, with each call the mood lightened considerably until it was a sad but stoic Booth she heard on the phone talking to his boss, requesting off the rest of the week to deal with the funeral.

He'd set the phone down, shoving it roughly away as he settled back into the couch. Brennan drew her knees up under her and rested an arm against the back of the couch, cocking it to support her head as she stared at him. She never tired of looking at him. He was a beautiful man, but she preferred to watch him in his sleep, when worry left his face nearly seamless. Booth's eyes closed for a second, and Brennan let a hand drift lazily toward his forehead, her fingers tracing the furrows in his brow. He sighed softly as she stroked the skin, again and again.

"Bones, I…I'm sorry, about earlier."

"Why?"

"I wasn't very…I didn't…I just sort of lost it. I didn't know what to do, and I, I couldn't stop thinking of him, lying there on some slab somewhere, and Jessica having to identify her brother's body." An involuntary shudder ran through his shoulders. "We need to go get her; I don't want her spending the night in foster care."

"Agreed. We'll make up Parker's room for her. You and Hank are both her legal guardians, right? Do you think he would mind if she stayed with us a while? I was thinking, we have Parks this weekend. He could sleep with us…" The look on Booth's face indicated she was clearly delusional, but Brennan refused to let it go. "What? We can curtail our morning activities for a few days. We'll find other places to express ourselves. I just think that Jess needs us now, and I don't want Parker to feel left out by not getting to spend time with his father."

Booth leaned over to kiss her, a lingering, if chaste, kiss. He beamed a sad, sweet smile at her, his hand brushing the hair from her face, cupping her cheek as his thumb stroked her cheek.

"I love you so much, Baby, and I get it. I'll let Rebecca know it's okay for Parker to spend the weekend as planned."

"I love you too, and I'm glad you agree with me, but what do you 'get'? I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"You know you do, Bones; you love Parker and you'd miss him if he didn't stay with us." Booth leaned over to kiss her again, softly. He pulled back to see the blush creeping up her neck. "And he'd miss you, and us. We're family, Bones. We're his family, and now we're Jessica's family too."

Brennan said nothing but scooted closer to him and settled into the crook of his arm. She sighed against Booth, feeling his arm drape over her shoulders and pull her snug against him. The two sat silently, touching and stroking one another in the most reassuring ways but never speaking, until both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Angela stalked about the lab, a black cloud of frustration roiling off her. She disliked being kept out of the loop, especially where Brennan and Booth were concerned. She disliked it more when she realized that since they'd gotten together she hadn't just been out of the loop, she'd been relegated to a whole other circuit. She wasn't asking for much, just a tasty morsel now and then, but Brennan had relegated her to crumbs, and even those were few and far between. She'd come to this realization when she found out that no one, not even Cam, knew about Walt or Jessica, or what their relationship was to Booth or how Brennan figured in all of this. It wasn't just that she had a relationship with Booth, it was the fact that Brennan had a whole other life now; one that didn't include her best friend, and it hurt to come to that realization. Somewhere along the way she'd stopped being a priority in Brennan's life. She'd known for some time Brennan's real priority was Booth, but to have confirmation, and so publicly too. Well, that stung. More than stung, it hurt, and a hurt Angela was a dangerous animal.

"So do we know who Walt and Jessica are yet?" Wendell regretted the question almost as soon as he'd asked it; the look Angela gave him had to mean no sex for a week. "I'm sorry, sweetheart…"

"Just don't, okay, Wendell? I, I really can't deal with your crap right now."

"Okay, I'm sorry, Ange. I'm heading back to Bone Storage anyway." There was nothing, no outward sign that she'd heard him, but he saw the tremor in her arm as she sketched and his hand alighted softly on her shoulder. "Dinner tonight?"

"If Brennan doesn't need me for anything, sure." Angela cringed at the bitterness in her own voice.

"Oh, well I'll be working late probably, but if you get free, let me know, okay?"

Wendell's voice, like his touch, was warm and reassuring. He hesitated only for a second before dropping a soft kiss to her temple. The feel of his lips stunned her. She'd been a perfect bitch to him since the partners had sequestered themselves in Brennan's office. Angela finally turned to say something, what she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter; he was already out the door.

Standing in her doorway, she wondered why Wendell did it, why he tolerated her demanding, high-maintenance personality. She couldn't kid herself. It wasn't just the sex, not for him, certainly not for her. He was young, attractive and surprisingly charming. His was the easy-going personality that lent itself to seduction, and she knew he could have most any girl he wanted, but the fact that he wanted her made her feel…special. Angela was a woman confident in her looks, her charms, her abilities with men, and yet Wendell was a constant surprise to her. He was young, and yet old fashioned enough to treat her like a lady. He was gallant, polite, endearingly chauvinistic about the silliest things, and yet progressive enough to know his own limits with her. He never pushed. He simply waited for her to come to terms with his views or tell him why it wouldn't work. He wasn't like anyone she'd ever dated, not even Hodgins. He was, well, Wendell.

The sound of laughter broke her concentration. Looking out her window she saw Cam and Jack, heads together and laughing, smiling in a way she hadn't seen either of them in a long time. Suddenly her dark mood got that much darker, and tropical storm Angela was on the move.

"So you two, having fun out here?"

"Hum? Oh, yeah. Hey Ange, any word on what's going on in there?" Hodgins nodded toward Brennan's office. "It's quieted down quite a bit."

"I'll say, they've been sitting like that for the last twenty minutes. I was about to knock but after the way Doctor Brennan kicked everyone out I thought better of it. Whatever's going on, it can't be good."

"Well it's obvious what's wrong, Walt's dead." Angela rolled her eyes at the pair. "The question is who the hell was he, and why is Brennan kicking me out of her office to deal with this?"

"Because it's got nothing to do with you, Angela. It's about Booth, and Brennan is all about Booth these days. You should get that, after all, it's what you wanted right?" Hodgins tight delivery drew a look from Cam but Angela only nodded.

"It is, but…"

"But what, Ange? Did you think they'd get together and it'd be like any other guy she's dated? Late night post-coital phone calls to tell you all the things he did and how he rates?" His snarky tone drew stares from both women. "Get real, Angie. This is Booth. How many times have you told anyone who'd listen, 'he's the love of her life if only she'd catch up to her own reality'? Well she's there, babe, and that means _he's_ her priority now, not you, not us."

"Hodgins, please…" Cam's words went unheeded, but gale warnings went out across the lab as hurricane Angela made landfall.

"Exactly what are you getting at, Jack? Was that little spiel really about Brennan or was that aimed at me?" Crossing her arms, Angela pivoted until she was squared off facing her ex. "Because let me tell you, buddy, you're one to talk about the love of your life and priorities."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Hodgins, Angela, let's all take a breath…"

"No, seriously, what does that crack mean? My priorities weren't screwed up, baby. I was the one who wanted your husband found so he could become your _**ex**_ husband. I didn't know it'd be just another chance for you two to catch up on old times. " Hodgins eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared as he pressed on. "Seems to me my priorities were dead on, baby."

"How can you lay all this at my feet, Jack? You know I was fully committed to you, but you couldn't trust me on that; you just had to act like some jealous jerk. I was willing to marry you, and you threw it right back at me because you couldn't control your own insecurities."

"People, please. Jack, step back now. Angela, let's calm down before anything more is said…"

"Hang on, baby. There's no way I'm letting that slide." Hodgins quirked his head at Angela, not missing the look on her face and realizing too late what he'd said. "Oh shit."

"Baby? Since when do you call Cam '_baby_'?"

"I call everyone baby, you know that. Hell, I called you baby not five minutes ago, and we're arguing."

"Yeah, Jack, I do know, and I know what you mean when you call people baby. You have different 'babies' for different people and different occasions, and _that_ was not the '_you're my friend_' baby, that was the '_you're my baby_' baby." The general sense of frustration was mounting behind Angela's icy demeanor. "And don't try and sell me another line. The '_oh shit_' kind of makes that impossible."

There was dead silence as three sets of eyes locked on one another, shifting from one to the next, tension building until it was almost tangible.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Booth's baritone cut through the stillness, the unmistakable edge in his voice causing all three to jump back.

"Jesus, Seeley, you've got to stop doing that."

"Doing what, Cam? Wondering why the three of you are acting like high schoolers?" Booth regarded the three of them despairingly. "You three really need to grow up. So Angela's seeing Wendell, so what? So Jack and Cam have gone out on a couple of dates, so what? Christ, get a grip already. A guy died and you all are acting like asses."

"We're sorry, Booth, but what do you expect? We're worried about you and Brennan, but we don't know who Walt is or what's going on. It's not like the two of you are sharing with us, you know? Your friends? We want to be there for you, but we don't know how and we're just frustrated."

Leaning back heavily against the railing, Booth let out a heavy sigh. He looked at the three worried faces and felt his chest tighten. This wasn't something they could help with, no one could. It wasn't something you got over. You just pushed through it and got on with life, but they wouldn't get that. Blowing out a breath in frustration he shoved his hands in his pockets, and picking out a spot on the floor to stare at, he began.

"Jessica called. She's the baby sister of an old army buddy, Walter Hirschberg. Walt and I served in the Rangers together. We were close, like brothers really, only unlike Jared, I never wanted to slap the crap out of Walt." Shaking his head, voice choked with emotion. He continued, "He took his life early this morning. He…his sister, Jessica, found his body. I'm…she's only 16. I'm her legal guardian now."

Stillness filled the area around Booth, who looked away from the people near him, casting a glance over his shoulder at Brennan's office. When he turned back he saw three faces, blank, struggling to understand.

"What's Dr B think about that?"

"She wants Jessica to stay with us for at least the next week. I know they hit it off, but I think she's afraid of Jessica entering the system if she's not with us."

"Is there no one else she can stay with?" Angela choked. "No other family, friends?"

"She's my responsibility, Angela. It's not like I'm looking for someone to adopt a puppy for Christ's sake." Angela paled at Booth's words, her eyes welling instantly as she tried to explain herself.

"I know, Booth. I was, I was thinking maybe she could stay with me? Or maybe Cam? Cam has Michelle, she's the same age…" Angela wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I just, I want to do something to help you guys now, and I don't know what to do."

Booth stepped forward, looping his arms around Angela, pulling her in for a hug. "I know, Ange, and I appreciate that. It's just, this isn't something you can help us with, not right away. When things calm down, maybe then, okay?"

A minute passed, then another. Angela's breathing leveled off and he eased her out of his arms. Seconds later it was Cam hugging him fiercely, and Booth drying her tears. When she stepped out of his embrace, Booth shot a wary look at Hodgins.

"Look Hodgins, how 'bout we just…" Grabbing one of his hands and jerking Booth into a half-armed hug, Hodgins thumped his back soundly as they bumped shoulders. Booth broke the embrace quickly and stared at the laughing entomologist.

"Dude, we're good," Jack grinned back. "Listen, you and Dr B need anything, you let me know."

"Thanks, man. Look, um, Bones is resting and I'm going to head out and pick up Jessica, so keep an eye on her for me?"

There were nods all around, but nothing was said as Booth walked off the platform. Cam looked back and forth between the two exes and excused herself, heading for her office. The exes looked at each other and smiled gamely before going their separate ways, neither one looking back at the other.

* * *

It was the absence of him that drew her from sleep, the cold replacing his warmth, emptiness replacing his touch. Brennan opened her eyes and brought into focus…nothing. She blinked. He was gone. Sitting upright she looked about her office, his jacket was still there, so was he - the question was where? Brennan sat upright, recalling his distress at the news of Walt's death, and she blinked away the tears that suddenly flooded her eyes. She'd only met him twice, but she really liked him. He reminded her so much of Seeley. They had the same expressive eyes, outgoing personalities. They were both charming rogues in their way. And then there was Jessica. Walt's parents had Jessica after he'd entered the Army. She was their miracle baby, and when they passed away Walt became her legal guardian. Now she had no one, and she was already a shy, introverted young girl, more at home with her books than people. Brennan was terrified for the girl. What would happen to her now?

Brennan rose, finding her shoes she slipped them on. She needed Booth. She had questions, and she needed answers. Stepping out of her office, Brennan cast about the lab, but Booth was nowhere to be seen. Angela was in her office talking to Hodgins. Cam was on the platform with Wendell. She assumed Daisy was in Limbo, and that left only…

"Petey?" Brennan called out to the large, boyish guard she recognized as being one of Brennan's Own.

"Yes ma'am, Doc?" Giving her a good-natured grin, the tow-headed giant sauntered over.

"Do you know where Agent Booth went?"

"Sarge? Sure thing, Doc. He's up talking to Gunny, and I think they've got company. If you're heading up, best be real quiet like."

"Really? Thanks Petey, and…" Brennan looked around furtively, "if anyone asks, I just stepped out for a few minutes."

"Roger, Doc."

Peterson placed a finger on the side of his nose and nodded to her before hooking his thumbs in his belt and continuing his patrol around the lab. Brennan smiled to herself. Luke Peterson was probably her favorite of all Brennan's Own, if only because he seemed to always make her smile when she needed it. She took the back stairs and made her way quietly out of the lab, heading toward the Director of Security's office, and when she got there she was surprised to see his secretary was gone. Closing the door softly behind her, Brennan was instantly aware of something moving off to her right, and was surprised to see Jessica curled up on the couch, her long auburn hair cascading over her jacket, soft breathing sounds and sighs drifting up lazily. Brennan walked over to the sleeping girl, her fingers brushing back the hair, lightly caressing her cheek, and she knelt slowly, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. Rising quickly she headed for Washburn's office, and peaking through the door she saw Booth was waiting for her inside. He and Washburn were sharing a bottle of expensive looking 16-year-old scotch, talking in hushed tones, sad smiles fixed firmly in place. Leaning back against the door she stood silently, watching them talk, the somber mood of Walt's death casting a pall over what would otherwise have been a touching scene of two friends reminiscing. Washburn looked up and waved her in, so Brennan closed the door behind her.

"Hey, Gunny." Brennan stepped into the office, her eyes never leaving Booth. "Seeley, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, babe. Did you see…?"

"Jess? Yeah, she's still asleep."

"Yeah, poor kid. Talk about your shitty days. Poor thing fell asleep on my couch out there as soon as she laid down." Washburn smiled wistfully at the couple. "Tell you what, Rooster, I'm gonna let you and the Doc have my office for a few; I'm gonna go sit shiva with the young'un."

"You don't have to leave, Gunny. I hate to think I'm chasing you out of your own office."

"It'll be fine, Bones, trust me."

Booth smiled at Washburn, mouthing his thanks. The older man just smiled. Brennan and Booth stood silently, saying nothing, eyes never leaving one another. Finally Booth reached down and scooped up the glasses he and Washburn had been drinking from. Setting Washburn's in the sink, he fetched a clean one for Brennan, topped them off with ice and scotch, and motioned for her to take the proffered glass from him.

Brennan took a sip, the cool amber liquid rolled like velvet over her tongue, coursed smoothly down her throat, and set a slow burning fire in her belly. After a second tentative sip she looked over the rim of her glass at him. "Why didn't you wake me? I wanted to go with you to get her." Booth tried not to smile at the way her lips pouted but he failed.

"I'm sorry, Bones. It's just you looked so peaceful, and you know you never get enough sleep. I just couldn't bring myself to wake you."

"Well you should have anyway, Booth. It was important to me." Brennan set her glass down on the edge of the desk and stepped into his embrace, her arms snaking around his waist. "We'll talk more about this later. Just tell me how she feels about staying with us?"

"Excited. Sad, but, well, you know she thinks you're amazing, right? She couldn't believe you wanted her to stay with us. She thought for sure she'd be at Hank's."

"Do you think she wants to be at Hank's?" The doubt in her voice made Booth's heart ache.

"No, Bones, I don't. I mean, I know she likes Hank and Janie, but she's crazy about you, Bones. She really is. Walt said…" Booth swallowed around the lump in his throat. "He said the other day she couldn't stop talking about the last time we were there, and all she talked about was you."

"I just, I don't know if I can be who she needs me to be, Seeley, but I want to try."

"I know, Temperance, and so does Jessica. Trust me, she does. Right now she just needs to know she's not alone, that there are people who love her and are there for her. We can be that for her."

"I was thinking about that, Booth, about being there for her and what it will entail." Brennan tried to keep the tremor from her voice, failing. "What would you say to moving?"

Brennan felt Booth stiffening in her arms, his voice strained. "You want me to…move out?"

"Move out? Well no, not right away. I mean first we need to find a place big enough for the four of us." Brennan gasped when Booth grabbed her shoulders roughly and held her back from him. Her eyes darted to his and she could see the confusion. "What? Was I wrong? Did you not want to? I mean, I know Hank is her other guardian, but he has a family, and we could be there for- "

Brennan's words were cut off by the passionate kiss pressed into them. Seconds later she was staring dreamily at Booth's smiling face. "Temperance Brennan, I positively love you, and yes, absolutely baby, when we find a place big enough for the four of us we will totally move. As soon as possible." Booth let out a shaky laugh. "God, woman, you don't believe in taking your time do you?"

"I don't see the point. When I know what I want to do, if it's the right thing to do, why should I wait?" Brennan pressed her head into his shoulder, inhaling deeply. "That's not wrong of me, is it, Seeley?"

"Nah, Bones, it's just, regular folks don't move at the same speed, baby. Sometimes you need to give us a second to get caught up, okay?"

"Okay…are you caught up now?"

"Sure, Bones. We'll start looking at places as soon as we can after the funeral."

"Good, because I want us to be a family, Seeley, for Jessica and Parker. I want us to be a family for both of them."

"Me too, baby, and we will be, Temperance. We will be."

_A/N: As always, feedback is welcome_


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